Stockholm Syndrome
by ShadowOfSelfDestruction
Summary: After white-washing money to pay for his grandfather's surgery, Yugi is convicted to two years of prison. Being the smaller guy around, he's finding it difficult to survive the harsh treatment and to fight back, as a result he's being abused, and to top it off, the worst criminal of all decides he can't stand the likes of him. YamixYugi
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Stockholm-syndrome **

Pairing: Yami(Atem)xYugi, Bakura(Akefia)xRyou, maybe some SetoxJoey (not sure yet)

Summary: After white-washing money to pay for his grandfather's surgery, Yugi is convicted to two years of prison. Being the smaller guy around, he's finding it difficult to survive the harsh treatment and to fight back, as a result he's being abused, and to top it off, the worst criminal of all decides he can't stand the likes of him. YamixYugi

Warning: yaoi, violence, abuse, rape, murder, … pretty much everything I know you want to read

**Chapter one: instant dislike**

There aren't many exciting things that happen in jail, especially since an average day consists of working, eating, more working, more eating, and than after reading a book or having played a game of chess for the hundredth time, simply going back to bed. Prison in Japan was pretty harsh, but aside from the many things one would hear about jail in Japan, it was not cruel. It was, to put it more bluntly, fair. There was little interaction aside from the one-hour of free time they got every day, three hours on Sundays. Prisoners were not allowed to talk during working hours which was nine hours a day, and work itself was pressing but never overgrown. The guards treated you so indifferently that you might as well be the first random stranger they found on the streets and given directions, that was if you played by the rules. Aside from that, there was little violence, the food was proper, and the accommodations were enough. And enough was what a prison had to provide, never too much.

Yugi Motou was a well-faired kid, not the rich type or anything, but hard-working and caring. You can imagine his fright upon entering the constrictions of the cement building, his hands cuffed and escorted by two guards to his cell, which was, compared to American prisons, single. No roommate to talk to, or rape you in any cases.

No, Yugi was quite the well-behaved adolescent. He was only twenty but already in jail, and for what act! He had white-washed tax money from the company he worked for in order to pay off debts for surgery and the hospital for his grandfather, the only human being in his life that he truly cared for and could not afford to lose, just like he could not afford the surgery. Of course he was ashamed of his actions, but even if he got the opportunity of rerunning that part of his life again, he'd do it all over. If only for the sake of his beloved grandpa, he'd go through the endless amount of stress and guilt again, fearing every day of his life that he would get caught, get fired, got send to jail and probably amount to nothing in the end. Even if it meant he'd never get a proper, well-paid job after that, he'd still do it all over again. Because that was simply who he was.

Upon entering his room, Yugi was silent as the guard walked him in and closed the door behind him. His blonde bangs covered the guilt projected in his eyes while he watched the floor intently, sighing deeply as he finally sat down on his bed and wandered over the little supplements he had in his room. They would suffice, they had never lived with much back when Yugi was still a child, so this would do just fine. After all, it was only two years of jail, he'd survive.

Funny how naïve he is.

Across from his cell, but still a few rooms next to Yugi's, a man age 26 lied still in his bed, tossing with what appeared like a tiny, plastic ball in the air and catching it, redoing the action over and over again as a means of entertainment. Anything was better than dying away in his cell out of pure boredom. He usually managed to snatch away something and hide it in his clothes before being escorted back to their rooms. It kept him distracted and his mind of his pressing urge to strangle someone in this confinement simply for the sake of killing. Have I mentioned that he was in jail for murder? About twelve times to be precise, two attempted but failed. That, and the illegal use of drugs. There was just something about the thrill of killing that made him feel alive, even if he lost a piece of his soul with every other victim he slaughtered. It was a secret, annoying voice in his head that coaxed him into doing it, and as much as he tried to ignore it, he always ended up listening to it in the end. He even tried several sedatives in the hopes of perhaps not hearing the voice again, but it always returned afterwards. Hungry for murder, hungry for pain.

"Yo, Yami. Psst."

The said person, Yami, known as the serial killer Yami no Game, although his real name was not open to public and therefor also unknown to the other prisoners. That said person rolled his eyes as he recognized the voice of his inmate, one cell next to his. Unbothered, he continued throwing the ball up and catching it, a blank expression on his face.

"What,."

It hardly sounded like a question, rather an automatic response to let his inmate know he was awake, but too aggitated to care for what he had to say.

"Did you see that newbie pass when they walked him to his cell?"

"No."

While Bakura attempted to whisper, Yami did not. He couldn't care that a guard would hear him, they were after all, pretty much afraid of him and preferred not to mingle too much with the murderer.

"What do you mean, no?! He walked right passed our cell?!"

"HEY, SHUT IT!"

A guard across the hall shouted as Bakura raised his voice. The white-haired man rolled his eyes and waited a few more minutes to make sure the guard was walking further on his patrol until he continued speaking.

"He was a real dandy, won't last a week, was even smaller than you. Will probably get raped in two days. Should be fun."

Bakura grinned wickedly, even if his 'friend' could not see it. He kept his pleasure in jail by picking on the newbies who were treated poorly upon their arrival. They were always scared and deferences on their first weeks, still needed to learn the hard way. Everyone pretty much got molested in here the first week, even with the tight security. Bakura very much though of it as an ordeal, like a trial every newbie had to suffer in order to either be accepted as one of them, or abused like a dog till the last day.

"I don't care." Yami finally responded, his eyes still fixed on the ball he was tossing above his head. Even if the urge to kill someone this very instant still raced through his veins, he didn't care. He was just... tired.

* * *

Working in a prison was tedious and repetitive, but it helped to pass the excess of time each prisoner had in this shithole. Yugi was no different to that. He had been used to working on the production line in a gaming company, probably the lowest of low jobs in the entire billionaire company, aside from perhaps the cleaning staff. This work wasn't any different, and it kept his mind of worrying for his grandfather and the guilt he still felt. It was only his second day in prison, most inmates had left him alone during dinner and free time, which was fine by Yugi, if they only knew how much he feared them.

Things remained plain during lunch. Yugi sat alone on a table with rice and eggs in front of him, eating very little bites, so careful it was almost pathetic to watch. As if he would break it if he ate it too carelessly. Again, he received multiple stares from other prisoners, but decided to ignore them. He thought best not to provoke them by looking directly back at them.

As Yugi kept nibbling on his food, a guy suddenly dropped his plate in front of him and leisurely took a seat across him. Yugi shrieked, his senses on sharp as he realized someone had approached him, but when he looked up, he was greeted with a steady smirk and confident eyes. The guy wasn't much older than Yugi, although he was taller and had blonde hair with brown eyes.

"Yo." He simply greeted and smiled at the newbie, at which Yugi was confused by his very normal and actually kind greeting.

"Hye," he responded and smiled back. The guy seemed nice enough to trust, but still Yugi kept a firm grip on his emotions. He knew from experience that he was soft at heart and naïve, being in jail only made matters worse. You never know who you're gonna meet.

"Jonouchi Katsuya." He stated firmly and pointed at himself with his thumb.

"Yugi Muto," the younger one greeted. The blonde seemed turbulent but at most easy to be around, as if he were the type of guy who would get along with anyone. If it weren't for the fact that they were behind bars, Yugi might've liked him as a friend.

"What ya in for?" He asked without being prude about it, after all it was a pretty common question to ask in jail. The inquiry was a lot like asking someone if they liked cricket on a sports convention. "You don't really seem like the type to hurt anyone, so what'd you do? Spit on a cop? Stole a necklace for your girlfriend?"

As if to lighten the topic, Jounouchi summarized different minor offenses of which he thought Yugi would be capable of. A joyous grin reached his face while looking at Yugi, to which the boy smiled back but failed to hide the guilt that came along with his revelation. "White-washing..."

"Ah, figures!," Jou called and loudly slapped his own leg as a way to express his surprise, even though it was sarcastic. "Geez, if they only knew how much money inevitably 'disappeared' in the business world, fucking cheapskates."

"Y-yeah," While Yugi's response wasn't meant as query, it filtered out as though he sounded surprised by that statement as if he understood that Jou knew what he was talking about. The profile of a big shot didn't fit this blonde at all, so it didn't really make any sense to him. As if Jou picked it up, he responded the subtle doubt himself. "My – friend's a CEO, complains a lot about his job, you know."

That lingering moment in which Jou had so abruptly halted before continuing his sentence told Yugi that, the man whom he was talking about, was everything but just a friend to Joey. Understanding that he did not want to out the fact since they were after all in a male prison, Yugi decided to drop it and pretend he hadn't noticed. Jou appreciated that, and decided then and there that he instantly liked the kid.

"How long have you got?" Yugi asked, continuing their casual chatting.

"About three more years, just some robbery, nothing violent or anything, ya know. Mostly it was just stealin' cars and then reselling them for some profit. I mostly did it to pay for my sister's surgery anyway."

"I see." Yugi looked up from his food to meet Jou's glimpsing eyes, sharing a feeling of compassion and understanding. The two seemed to respect each other, and Jou figured Yugi knew what he was talking about from experience. "Is it hard? I mean, living here and all..." Yugi asked, slightly hesitant because he wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer at all.

"It's boring, but not terrible. You just – live, ya know?" That didn't make a whole lot of sense to Yugi, but okay. If he would be bored but alive he would be fine, right?

Fuck this fucking act, he was pretty much shitting his own pants and Jounouchi could tell just by looking at the guy.

"You'll be fine kiddo, just dig in your heels. You gotta bite off man, you don't want them guys to start bothering you just because you look like you're about to cry any minute."

"Bothering me? What do you mean?"

As if Yugi truly did not understand what the blonde was talking about, Joey frowned and felt the urge to slap his own face.

"Look around ya, Yug'. Those glares you're gettin'? You like, the closest thing to a girl those guys've seen in years! I'd watch my back if I were you."

Yugi gulped, nearly choking on his food. He'd known he was pretty small and lean for a guy his age, always has been, but a girl?! And what did Jounouchi even mean by that? That he was...

"I-is that a good thing?"

Jounouchi eventually slapped his own face with his hand. "Gosh, you really are naïve, aren't ya." He couldn't help but cringe at how innocently Yugi looked at him with a questioned face. "It means you can't reach for the soap in the shower, Yug'."

"... oh." Now that he looked around him, he suddenly noticed how many men were preparing themselves to attack head on whenever the opportunity presented itself. Swiftly, he turned his face to his own table again, pupils shrinking considerably now that he realized the danger he was in. He was going to die here after all.

"Relax, I'll help ya out. I've been around these assholes for a whole two years now and they didn't even try once."

"Yeah, okay Jounouchi but look at me! I'm the worst situation possible to end up in jail and I'm not exactly a strong guy or anything, I mean, what if – oh god I'm screwed! I'm gonna get skinned alive in here! They'll –"

"Keep you voice down, idiot!" Jou muffled his hand on the boy's mouth, effectively shutting him up before he continued blabbering in his rampage. Looking around, he noticed a pair of crimson eyes that he tried to avoid drawing attention from as most as possible. The only reason why that guy hadn't laid a finger on him was simply because he was Seto's cousin, and therefore off limits to Yami.

While keeping his hand on Yugi's mouth, the deadly eyes finally slipped past and Jou released his held breath after deciding the threat was over, so he let go his hand and with the same, pulled Yugi closer at the hem of his shirt, so close that they could only hear each other and Yugi was finding it exceptionally difficult to compose his blush.

"Listen, whatever you do, you don't want to mess with that guy. Understand?"

It was short and sturdy, but it got the message cross. Yugi nodded slowly, listening how the guards announced their break was over and were required to go back to work. He looked past Jou's shoulder to see which man he was talking about, and locked eyes with such a deep hue of red that it reminded him of blood. Jou had never told him which man he was talking about, but from the moment he saw him, Yugi already knew.

He scared the living shit out of him.

* * *

It had only been a few days since Yugi was admissioned in jail, and yet his grandfather was already at the door demanding to see his grandson. Visiting hours were only once a week in Japan, on Thursday evenings to be precise, and that was why the old man had decided to pick out this day to come and see how Yugi was holding up. Yet Yugi was rather reluctant to meet his grandpa for the first time now that he was behind bars. He knew that the old man held no grudge toward him whatsoever, in fact, he probably thought of him as a hero, and yet Yugi was unsure if he would be able to remain steady without blinking away a tear. He had always been emotional, and prison life wasn't something cheery to talk about either.

While following a guard towards his phone booth, Yugi's eyes suddenly stumbled on a man behind glass whom looked awfully familiar, but he couldn't pinpoint where he had exactly seen him before. He was pretty sure the man had something to do with his previous job, but then again the company he had worked for was so big that the only boss he had ever met or worked for was probably but a subordinate. Who knows in which rank of the hierarchy this man resided.

Briefly, an ice-cold glare wandered across him, making Yugi's skin shiver as he had never felt so naked before in his life. The man's eyes were so hard they actually scared him, while he was at the other, safer side of the glass wall. Whereas his dark, chocolate brown hair was combed in perfection and seemed so elegant and soft, the grip on the phone told Yugi he was everything but. He held it sturdy, as if the device would crack in two any moment, and if his mood got the better of him, the man might perhaps be capable of smashing the glass window that separated visitors from offender. Who was he talking to anyway?

Just before Yugi walked past them to follow the guard to his own visit, he felt the lethal burn of crimson eyes residing on him, watching him pass before he would continue his talk with the blue-eyed man. In that split second, Yugi felt his breathing quicken dramatically at the knowledge of whom he had just locked eyes with, a devastating fear making him sweat profoundly in a matter of seconds. He quickly looked in front of him, calming himself by watching the warden casually strolling in front of him, reminding him he should be safe by not digging any deeper. Even if he though that man had the most interesting eyes he had ever seen in his life.

He sat down after the guard told him to, greeted by a pair of the same coloured only slightly darker, and the previous thoughts of angst died away.

"Grandpa!"

He saw his grandfather return the greeting by pronouncing his name, but for an odd reason could not hear it. It was only after his grandpa pointed at the telephone that he realized they couldn't hear each other without it.

"Grandpa, I'm so happy to see you! How are you? Are you doing fine on your own?"

"I'm fine, Yugi. God, I was so worried about you. How are you holding up? Are they treating you alright?"

"It's, it's fine, really," with a poor excuse of a smile, Yugi brushed away the obvious worry that showed on his grandfather's face. He would, by no means, make him feel any more guilty by telling him in descriptive words how hard living in this constitution was.

"It's my fault you're in here –"

"Grandpa, we've been through this. I made a choice, and I don't regret a second of it."

There was tense silence at the other end of the line, and then a long, deep sigh from an old man whom had given up on an argument. He understood Yugi's decision, he had decided after all that he would take the risk if it meant rescuing his only living relative. Well, his father was still alive but, Yugi had lost all contact with the man and he hadn't even shown up for his conviction, let alone call him. From the little exchanges they had had after his mother had divorced him and soon after had died from breast-cancer, they had only shared short, meaningless letters with such little devotion or love that Yugi preferred not receiving them over the few he did.

"I'm sorry, I just – I wish there was a way to help you out. You know I'd do anything for that." His wrinkly cheeks formed a sympathetic smile, but Yugi noticed the glaze in his eyes.

"I know, grandpa. Don't worry about me, okay? It'll only be two years, I'll be fine."

Two years was, of course, an awful long time if you thought about it, but Yugi brushed it off. Deciding to change to topic to a merrier matter, he asked away as to what his grandpa had been doing now that he was all alone, if he enjoyed the silence and a grandchild-free vacation, what he had been eating, etc. And after a while, Solomon asked the same questions back, and they just chatted for a while, once in a while laughing, once in a while swallowing the tears.

And a few boots away, the same crimson-eyed man whom had rounded up his visit, stood up and stared menacingly at the puny guy whom he had seen around before, but for the life of him could not remember his name. His frown creased by the sight of the smiling child, chatting away without worry, before the guard told him to return to his cell immediately.

* * *

Having made a new friend was good, actually, Yugi should count his blessings. Or rather count the attempts of rape in the showers from which Jounouchi saved him. He didn't know why Jounouchi was so protective over him and never asked either, avoiding to trod any thin-iced subjects with his new friend. They got along just fine like that, sat together during lunch, played games during free hours, talked about the things they wanted to do after getting out of jail, that sort of things. It was nice to have someone so protective over you, especially in a place like this.

After about two weeks, Yugi and Jou were playing chess again during their free time.

"For fuck's sake, am I ever gonna beat ya? You're starting to annoy the shit out of me!"

Yugi just chuckled, watching his friend almost pulling out his own hair in frustration. Jou wasn't any good at chess, but it didn't mean his competitive strike was any less. In fact, he was the one who insisted on playing every day and growled and yelled every time he lost. It was quite the show.

"Let's face it, Katsuya, you're never gonna beat him. I couldn't either." Another inmate, whom Yugi and Jou got along with (and I emphasize 'getting along', friends wasn't nearly what they'd call each other), called Rafael stood, leaning against the supporting pole while having witnessed the friendly game, watching his nails in fascination as he had this strange habit of scratching the skin around his nails off until it started bleeding. They didn't really like each other, but they respected each other enough not to trespass any boundaries. He was a tall man, twice a head above Yugi's, with broad shoulders and well-built muscles. He was in for rape and abuse. Yugi couldn't help but not like this man, however he never mentioned it.

"Shut it, Raf! He stamped you well in the ground last time too! You ain't any better than me, fuck-face!"

"Chill out, _sweetheart_. I never said I was."

The room was filled with laughter as it seemed the shrimp of the group had, once again, defeated his opponent within the blink of an eye. What they first though to be a wallflower, mistakenly put in prison for false charges because there was no way in hell a kid like him could've done something wrong so bad he'd end up in jail, had now earned their respect. The other prisoners thought of Yugi's skill as fascinating, and rewarded him with a pet on the back or a thumbs up over much appreciated entertainment, something they lacked in prison. So it was nice to have an interesting addition like Yugi suddenly showing up and excelling at something like games.

However, the laughter suddenly died down in unbareble silence, and the eagerness from before made place for tension and fear. All men, even the more muscled and biggest ones amongst them, shifted in fear when one person in particular stomped down their direction, and even if that said person was a head smaller than all of them, they all parted for the man to pass through. Yugi watched in agony as the serial killer Jounouchi had mentioned before, the one he was never supposed to even make eye-contact with, now stood before him, his frown challenging and with a menacing smirk on his face. Without so much of a word, the tanned man pulled back the chair before Yugi, already empty from his previous opponent that had fled it as soon as Yami walked toward them, nonchalantly plumping down it and placing his shoes on the table next to the chess game, one leg crossing the other. He picked in utter bore at his nails, no less fascinated by the person before him, as his monotonous voice deeply pronounced his words.

"Let's have a game." He spoke and after glaring at his fingers a few more seconds, Yami finally looked up to meet Yugi's violet eyes, provoking him as if this was a matter of life and death. Yugi gulped audibly while the men around them gasped and whistled, entertained and interested where this was heading. Yami had, after all, earned his nickname Yami no Game for a reason.

"I-I really don't – I'd loose anyway. M-maybe it's better if I –"

"You didn't think you'd have a choice, did you?"

Yugi's pupils decreased in size while watching the bitter aura of the man in front of him, his body visibly shivering from the provocation. Yami seemed impossibly persistent, and ultimately the person whom liked to do things his way. Change the game and you'd get on his nerves, decline it, and he would smother you in your sleep. With the nervousness now evident in Yugi's shaking hand, he was about to respond when Yami intervened.

"And don't think to go easy on me. Unless you want to drink your dinner through a straw for the rest of your life."

While Yami's words were spoken rather apathetic, the men around them oohed as they watched how Yugi was going to get himself out of this situation. The truth was, there was no exit. Yami always got what he wanted, and this was no exception. The only thing Yugi really could do was play the game and hope that he would loose as to not get on Yami's bad side. He would want to leave this prison eventually without having to worry about a serial killer going after him.

As Bakura, his lapdog as most inmates referred to him, announced the start of the game, everyone watched with eager as the two opponents placed one pawn after another, and slowly but surely, the first one fell, and then the second, then the third. Everyone seemed riled up, even some of the guards peeked their heads above the mass to witness the game of the year. Every time another pawn was defeated, gasps, and shouts were heard, so loud that it seemed the warders were too engrossed with the game themselves to really care.

Yugi was breaking out in a cold sweat. He tried hard to suppress any strategic reflexes that would guarantee his victory, but his brain worked with too much logic to neglect it. That, and he was scared Yami would notice if he held back. Once in a while Yugi would look up with worry, watching as the man before him carefully considered his next step before looking up himself, their eyes crossing for a brief second and sending shivers down Yugi's spine. If looks could kill.

He noticed how Yami was starting to collect Yugi's pawns, having an obvious advantage now in the game that allowed him a glimpse of his soon-to-come victory. The tentative smirk that had resided on his face before was slipping upside down, obviously growing bored of the game as he could already tell he was about to win. Yugi noticed the lack of attention that came with it, but made no remark (he wasn't in any position to do that anyway), instead he focused on his next move, resting his chin in his hand. The other prisoners around them grew frustrated by the long waiting, eager to discover who was about to win, and then, suddenly -

"Checkmate."

Yami's eyes were drawn to the board, as he had sat back in his chair and had been sulking around without taking interest in Yugi's move. The word Yugi had pronounced lingered in the back of his head, and upon witnessing his defeat, he grew stiff, eyes growing cold. Had that punk just pronounced a checkmate on him?

To most their surprise, the inmates reacted the same way. You'd think that after so much excitement and building tension, they'd lash out or at least shout when the climax was revealed, but everyone seemed weary, as if they expected the calm before the storm. It was in that split second, where Yami's withdrawn expression toppled over in furious rage, that he arched forward and grabbed Yugi by the hem of his shirt, dragging him over the board game and tumbling over the entire table in the process. The white around his eyes had turned pink, almost red, which added only more horror to his appearance, with his grinding teeth that looked like they were about to bite Yugi's head off. Five more seconds and he would've shat his own pants.

"I'LL BREAK EVERY FUCKING BONE IN YOUR -"

Yugi watched Yami's bloodshed eyes vanish when Jounouchi had hit him in the face with such brutal force that the guy hit the floor and a stain of blood splashed on the tiles next to him. A loud growl escaped the serial killer's mouth when he got back on his knees and eyed the source of his intervention, the urge to kill evident on his face. Jou winced, only half-prepared to take the charge, Yami's shoulder punching him in his stomach and toppling him over. He fell face-forward on the floor, blood leaking through his mouth, before Yami turned him around and kicked his face with his foot so hard that there was an audible crack. The other inmates just watched as Jounouchi lied silently on the floor, unconscious, before Yugi wormed in between to help out his friend.

"Stop it you're going to kill him!"

As if the crowd wasn't surprised enough, they were dumbstruck by the valour Yugi proved by pushing Yami away from his friend. The gesture however, was not much appreciated by the murderer who was by now on edge and furious by the lack of respect this kid showed before him. If he couldn't kill someone right now, he was sure to keep hearing that voice in his head for the rest of the week until he finally would. It was an urge that he couldn't control, and he had to get rid of these frustrations right now. And Yugi, this vexing, infuriating punk who thought he could get away with what he had just done, was the perfect solution to his quirk.

Yugi felt the impact of the blow on his right cheek when a fist hit it, but it happened so fast that he hadn't seen it coming. Having closed his eyes in pain, he opened them only half and found himself in a compromising position on the ground, Yami on top of him, fist in the air ready to punch the living daylight out of him and hopefully, close those damned Amethyst eyes forever. The last thing he saw were eyes so menacing and bloodshed before he pierced his own shut again to take the impact. He winced, afraid of what was about to come.

But nothing came.

Yugi opened his eyes as nothing happened. Yami's eyes rolled back to his head before he fell on his side, unconscious. Some guards walked over to them while one popped out the sedative in his neck and the others started dragging his body down to the infirmary. They asked if he was fine, but Yugi could not bring himself to answer. How close had he just been to death? And that after being only two weeks in jail? What was the chance of it happening again soon?

Silently, he spilled some tears before collecting himself of the ground. He reminded himself that there was no way in hell he was going to leave this shithole unharmed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: bad news**

Jou had been in the infirmary for the last two weeks. The first three days he had been in a coma, but he pulled through rather quickly and his stamina was admirable. Yet three ribs were broken and his jaw, nose, and a small part of the bone next to his eye had broken and splintered. He would be fine however, so Yugi was relieved. That didn't diminish his own pain though.

Now that Jou was being treated, Yugi wasn't being protected anymore, and the other inmates knew that. He tried desperately to hide himself during showers, even asked the guards if he couldn't just not shower at all, but they were merciless and so were the prisoners. They raped him, one by one, pushed his face against the tiled wall and silenced him by tugging a washing cloth in his mouth. He could only do so much as cry, plead with his eyes to his so-called 'friends' who would just look away and decided not to mingle in the situation unless they wanted to end up just like Yugi. The days became unbearable, he got harassed every evening, and no one did a damn thing about it. Not the inmates, not the guards, not even the nurses who stitched up his ass. Yugi didn't know what to do anymore, he silently prayed every evening to just die then and there, anything was better than the life he was living now. He was sick of crying himself to sleep, sick of watching his back every second, sick of screaming his throat sore when they harassed him.

He never told his grandpa, however. He wouldn't worry the old man with that, so he always greeted him with a smile when he came for a visit again, even if sitting on the chair was awfully painful and nearly impossible to hide.

Yugi groaned deeply when someone slapped his ass while passing with his tray of food. The pain shot right through his spine and he shivered, nearly dropping his plate while the table just laughed. Yugi had gotten used to the humiliation, but it didn't mean that he wasn't affected by them anymore.

He sat down, rather carefully, on a table by himself, leaning more towards his left as to not put full weight on his ass. He heard his cell-mates snicker behind his back but ignored it, deciding to put his energy in surviving rather than getting by.

People looked up when two guards escorted someone in the dining hall. Upon seeing who it was, Yugi grimaced in utter fear. He had forgotten that Yami had been locked in isolation for a whole month, and was now back again. The guy's face looked drained and exhausted, his tanned skin paler than usual and almost seeming unnatural. Yugi had half-expected for him to charge right at him as soon as he laid eyes on the kid, but to his surprise, when Yami and Yugi's eyes locked, the serial killer just turned his gaze and walked toward his table, where Bakura was sitting along with other inmates.

Yugi found this behaviour odd. He could remember those crimson eyes itching to kill like it was yesterday, and yet all he had seen now was defeat. It was no secret that the shouting and yelling at night belonged to Yami, and although the isolation block was quite a distance and well-secluded, you could still hear him. But everyone who had been to isolation knew that, aside from utter boredom and literally no one who talked to you, they never harmed you. And yet it almost looked like Yami had been tortured in there.

Yugi turned around to have a better look at the man. Aside from phased and a bit pale, he looked healthy. Their eyes locked again, but this time, none of them looked away. Yugi found himself awfully engrossed in their staring-contest and couldn't turn his gaze. There was a slight second in which he could swear he saw fire burning in those crimson eyes, but it faded soon after, and Yugi pulled away. What he didn't know was that the man's eyes were still glued to his back, analyzing him in every form and way.

* * *

"Bend over, _pussycat_."

"Fuck off!"

Was it ever going to stop? Even if he fought back, it was going to happen again anyway. It wouldn't be even more terrible if everyone else wouldn't fucking watch it, but they all did nonetheless. They just watched, they watched as the smallest one among the group was forced against the wall and said nothing, didn't get a guard, didn't intervene, just watched. That's all they really did.

"Just leave me alone, please,"

Yugi bit his lip in order to keep himself from crying, but it was in vain. The uncomfortable position in which his body was pressed against cold tiles, one arm pinned on his back and his face squashed, made his body shake uncontrollably. He knew what was about to happen, knew how it felt, but every time he was still scared.

"Cute, but no," the man answered and smirked maleficently. He slammed Yugi's head hard against the wall again. "Now shut up or you'll regret it, got that, _pussycat_?"

The name pussycat had stuck after one of them had began purring and provoking sounds like a horny cat, and was now unfortunately a common nickname that referred to him. Yugi pierced his eyes closed, a pained grimace frowning his face while the man wiggled his cock between his cheeks and, without any warning, rammed inside. Yugi yelled, but the sound was muffled by the man's hand cupping his lips. If all but nothing, he managed to make it worse by slipping his fingers in Yugi's mouth while he laughed at the pained cries of the guy he was raping.

Although there was water pouring down from the shower heads, Yugi could still feel his own salty tears rolling down his cheeks. His ass was burning from the treatment while the man impertinently slammed back inside hard and quick. A wince escaped his lips when he felt the man's breath in his own neck coming closer, like a beast panting and high on tendency.

"You dropped the soap."

The man turned his head, busy fucking the kid's brain out while he heard someone address him. All of a sudden, Yugi didn't know why, the man stopped, his cock still inside though, but without movement. He tried to see what was going on but couldn't move his head. All he heard was someone talking to the other in an awfully blatant and passionless tone.

"What?"

"I said, you dropped the soap."

Yami smirked. He looked at the bar of soap on the ground, and the man's gaze followed, soon after his eyes filling with fear. The man, broader and taller than him, was completely frozen and couldn't utter a single word. He flinched as Yami leaned forward, bringing their faces closer together to continue their friendly conversation. "You should pick it up." He whispered, non-threatening, but every alarm was blaring off inside the man's head, and Yami enjoyed the display. He waited, one minute, two minutes, before impatiently tapping his foot signaling that he was reaching the end of his limit.

Yugi groaned when the man pulled out. He felt the restrain on his arm and head fade and collapsed on the ground like a bundle of old rope.

Yami nodded his head for the man to follow his instructions and pick up the soap. Slowly, but carefully, the man turned around, his knees shaking while bending over to get the bar of soap. Yami's eyes widened and his laugh broadened, baring his teeth.

As soon as the man's hand grabbed the bar of soap, a loud howl wavered through the showers and other inmates were watching in shock. Yami had rammed his whole fist inside the man's ass, pounding it hard a few more times and with every jolt, another scream escaped the man's lips. He dropped on his knees, still yelling even after Yami had pulled out. Without the slightest reaction, Yami circled around the man and eyed him, before picking up the bar of soap himself to excessively wash his defiled hand. Smirking proudly when the man winced and tried protecting himself with his hands, he walked away casually before a few guards barged in the shower room.

Yugi watched in silence as his rapist was collected of the floor to be brought to the infirmary. He saw Yami and some other men shrug when they asked what had happened, but no one spilled anything. After it became clear that they weren't going to get any information soon, the guards left.

Yugi got up slowly, his body still sore from the abuse. He tried desperately to meet Yami's gaze, but the man wouldn't even look at him. Bothered by this fact, Yugi didn't know what had gotten into him, yet he walked right up to him but before he even knew it, his back was smacked against the wall and an arm effectively pinned him down by the neck, lifting him from the floor. Yami looked at him, the same look from before with eyes so devious that Yugi gulped audibly. He realized that their naked bodies were ridiculously close to his dislike and that he felt everything but comfortable now that he had finally awoken Yami's attention. But he had to know why Yami had done that, he had to know why he had helped him, it just didn't add up, nothing made sense anymore.

He shivered when hot breath nestled in his ear. Yami's body was, despite the lute temperate of the water, exceptionally warm against his own bare skin. It almost felt reassuring, but Yugi tried hard not to let his naive thoughts get the better of him again. That was, until his eyes shut wide open and he felt a throbbing erection near his inner thigh painfully hard poking it.

While Yami was about to say something, he suddenly closed his mouth and became soundless. The silence in the room was nerve-wrecking and Bakura, who had watched the whole scene and was still observing his partner in crime intently, could feel it as well. There was a thick cloak of tension, before Yugi felt velvet lips caress his own in a kiss so chaste that it almost felt like those lips could never belong to Yami, but they did. Their lips touched briefly and softly, with Yami as inductor, and Yugi could feel himself leaning in and closing his eyes after the surprise. For a short moment, he felt completely at peace, but it quickly faded when Yami let go of him and Yugi fell through his knees. The man walked away, grabbing a towel and covering his obvious erection without much shame, leaving the scenery. Before he heard a voice talk in his head again. Before it told him to kill – again.

* * *

It was an odd reversion, and most inmates did not embrace it very much, not even Bakura was warm for it, but it had changed drastically nonetheless. After the whole 'spectacle' in the shower, the tides had shifted, and from that day on Yugi Mutou would follow them suit every minute of the day whenever he could. He sat silently next to Yami, not sharing a word, while Yami continued his every day life in prison as if still being surrounded by the same people. He barely acknowledged the younger one, only did so when he left briefly to go to the bathroom or get something to drink. The obsession radiating in his eyes for the little one was so disturbing that it even frightened Bakura, who couldn't understand a word of their relationship. It was evident that Yugi stayed by Yami's side as a means of protection, after all no one had laid a finger on him ever since. But how Yami was affected by the boy was what really bothered Bakura. He couldn't leave his eyesight for a second or he would glare daggers at him, and Yugi was supposed to follow him around at every given moment without any exchange in words. And for a very strange, unknown reason, the boy seemed to understand his demands, as if they had pleaded to one another in silence in a language that no one else understood.

Now that Yugi was 'protected' however, the inmates started to grow weary. The last one to have assaulted Yugi still hadn't returned from the infirmary and everyone was too scared to meet the same fate by that wicked serial-killer. But it didn't mean the hormones died down. They just retreated for now, until another opening presented itself.

Yugi was fine with this silent contract. He didn't really enjoy being in Yami's company, the man actually scared the living daylight out of him, but at least he would be safe until Jou would return. Yami expected him to do his bidding without so much of a word. Yugi brought him his food, walked him to the bathroom, even flipped over the next page of his book for God's sake. When Yami was eating or washing, Yugi was supposed to wait until he was finished, which was pretty much the same as a dog waiting for its owner to let go of the leash. It was humiliating, but anything was better than getting assaulted day in and day out. So Yugi would be fine – again.

As he came to spend more time with Yami, Yugi noticed the odd quirks the man visually exposed. He had a tendency of whispering to himself, as if hushing his conscience, and could stare at nothing without blinking for more than an hour. It freaked Yugi out, but he also found it interesting to observe. He noticed how Yami would tense up and sometimes growl at other people that came too close to his liking, and he also had the urge to do everything in a repetitive motion, especially during dinner. There was an obvious, repetitive pattern that only became evident if you paid any attention to it, but every day Yami ate the same way. He took one bite of his vegetables, one of his rice, and one of his meat or fish, and than he simple repeated the action. The repetition was so tedious and silly, but Yami needed it wholeheartedly as Yugi also noticed how Yami turned confused and even panicky when something other than that was served, for example a burger. He never touched his food when he wasn't able to repeat his pattern, just watched it turn cold for half an hour and said nothing.

Well, Yami never really spoke anyway. Yugi wasn't allowed to speak in his presence, but Bakura talked all the time. The only answers he got however were multiple hmms, some nodding, shrugging, and once in a while an 'I don't care' or 'whatever'. Their short-lived conversations held little meaning but Yugi could only translate them as if they were something more, but just not to be understood. Even if they barely talked, he was certain Yami and Bakura had known each other for a long time, it was just not clear if they were friends or enemies.

One afternoon, after working hours, Yugi was sitting on the ground cross-legged, next to Yami whom sat on a chair, reading. There was little to do since he wasn't allowed to read one himself, so these afternoons were quite tedious as were all the rest. But it was more promising than the others after all.

Whenever people walked in, it was a habit for all inmates to look up and see who was there. This time, most expecting eyes turned into smiles upon seeing Jou had returned from the infirmary after two months at last. He was greeted warmly by his 'friends', and Jou laughed at the sudden exchange of friendliness, but his gaze was obviously looking for someone else.

Yugi bit his lip, watching Yami from the corner of his eye who seemed unphased. He did notice the eyes of the little one lingering however, and looked up to see what had drawn his attention. Oblivious, he returned his gaze to his book, and Yugi smiled at that. It was his sign language of saying 'fine', only in a more complexed manner, so Yugi got up and walked over to Jou. When the two met, they offered each other a friendly hug, more to tell each other that they were relieved to see they were both still alive.

"You shouldn't have done that," Yugi smiled, letting go of his friend to talk to him face to face, "I don't want you to end up killed for the likes of me."

"Shut up, Yug'. I would do it again in a heartbeat." He smiled, but his eyes shifted to the sinister presence still sitting in the chair, his grip on his book strengthening in a trembling fury. Jou was aware that the attention he received from Yugi was setting the murderer on edge, but that was just it. He didn't understand why. Why was Yugi sitting next to him anyway?

"What the hell are you doing with that guy? I told you to stay away from him," he whispered, trying to keep their conversation private without letting the daggering eyes get to him.

"It's okay," Yugi spoke softly. He looked back to see how Yami was holding up, but by the looks of it he shouldn't draw it out too long. "He protected me," Yugi continued, and turned towards his friend again, "they stopped bothering me because of him. I owe him, Jou."

Jounouchi quirked an eyebrow. He could hardly believe that the man who had nearly punched him to death had taken it upon himself to 'protect' anyone at all.

"I'm sorry Jou," Yugi spoke, his eyes lingering to the ground in apology, "I should go back. I don't want to get into trouble. Thanks again, really," he smiled, "bye."

As Yugi walked back to his owner, Jou did his best to not look the serial-killer directly in the eyes, but failed on the occasion. Once they locked eyes however, there was only one thing he could read in those crimson orbs: he's mine.

* * *

Yami stared at nothing in particular. He tended to do that sometimes, or rather most of the time. It was a spasm every time he was bored, or when he was extremely distracted by something, but he never truly looked at whatever it was he was looking at. His eyes were pointing towards a certain spot, but his mind, complicated as it was, was somewhere far off instead. Briefly, silently, whispering to him, telling him to kill, telling him to kill everyone around him at this very moment, but he refused to give in. It might tear him apart from the inside, and the voices might escalate further and further every time he ignored them, until, eventually, he couldn't anymore and massacred the very next person that crossed his path.

"Yami."

Said person looked up to meet with his nephew's icy stare. Seto barely looked happy, even if he had pretty much everything in the world that he needed. A good job, a healthy brother, all the riches in the world and a man he loved so much he would die for. Nonetheless, even if the CEO never looked happy, Yami could tell he was pissed-off at this very moment, or at least largely agitated.

Seto Kaiba was probably one of the wealthiest men in all of the world, but just like his nephew Yami, their childhood memories of growing up were everything but pink-colored. He had never known Yami that well, after his parents died Seto went to live with his foster father in Japan, whereas Yami remained in Egypt with his own family. While they had spent an awful lot of times playing together when they were young, Seto had never heard of Yami's family once he had moved to Japan. Back in those days, Seto would've never thought what Yami was capable of. He was a happy, cheerful child, quite selfish since he had no siblings, and somewhat thick-headed. There had never been any signs of psychological issues, family problems or anything for that matter. Yami had a loving family and was very close to his mother. He would've done everything for her if it meant making her proud.

And then, at the age of 17, Seto was watching the news while reading through some files, when suddenly a face with hair he would recognize from a thousand miles appeared on the screen, involved in a yet unsolved homicide that later appeared to be a murder by none other than the teenager himself. Yami's parents, they had both been killed, quick and clean, by the only son they had ever loved and raised. No one knew why, no one knew how, and Seto was left speechless.

And now here he was, sitting in front of the same mess he had hid into cover for over five years, only for him to slaughter one person after the other, until they finally snatched him. Seto had done everything he could to protect his nephew, but Yami's case had been lost the moment he stabbed a knife in his own mother's back. The person he was looking at now was someone entirely different.

"Yami!"

Seto snapped, tired of his nephew's lack of attention. Those crimson eyes that used to scare him when he was a kid looking up. Funny how they didn't scare him anymore now.

"What?"

"I told you not to touch him!"

The CEO slammed his fists on the table as he had risen from his seat, beyond furious, blood boiling in his veins that turned him on edge. Yami remained calm behind the glass window, having lifted the receiver a few inches from his ear to not hear the full tremor of the shouting.

"I told you not to fucking touch him, you ungrateful bastard! You should be happy that he's still alive otherwise I would've put your face through this fucking window right now!"

Yami's attention however, had drifted far off again, to a place that only he could visit. He understood Seto's rage all too well, after all, he had promised him never to lay a finger on his puppy, but due to certain circumstances had been forced to. It had never been his intention to hurt Seto's significant other, but it didn't mean he wouldn't do it again if the mud intervened next time.

That kid was all he was after. Perhaps not at this very moment, but one day he was intent on killing him. He would kill that boy even if it was the last thing he'd do on earth.

"Yami! I'm talking to you, damn it!"

The serial-killer never responded though, too engrossed with the voices that called to him, too intent on his urge to stab those ridiculously large, violet eyes, to cut that perfectly porcelain skin, to break those delicate, feather-like fingers, one by one, all the more pain.

Seto sighed. He understood that Yami was no longer present. Whenever Yami was thinking, he stared off to nothing and his pupils shrunk into dots that seemed to tremble with either fear or desire. Seto had seen it all to often, but still it scared him.

Instead of getting angrier, he took his seat again and rested his head in his hand while the other reached for the receiver and replaced it next to his ear.

"Listen, Yami... Your case has been reopened. Footage has been leaked that there was tampered with the evidence, and once it comes out, I won't be able to protect you anymore."

This seemed to draw Yami's attention, even if it was only for a brief moment. "Reopened?"

"Yes," Seto continued. He barely heard anything from his nephew so hearing his voice always surprised him how masculine it sounded. As if he had almost forgotten he was talking to a full-grown man. "It means they're going to reconsider your punishment."

Seto hesitated to continue, but Yami's cold glare convinced him otherwise. "Yami, in two weeks they're going to reconsider your punishment, and it will be death-penalty."

Alas, the crimson-eyed man looked up at his nephew, emotions leaking out of his usually dull eyes. Seto grimaced poorly, unsure of what to say next. He was honestly afraid of Yami's reaction, and by the look of things he wasn't taking it lightly.

As if possessed by his inner demons, Yami stood up and tugged his hands in his hair, pulling it lightly, enough to inflict pain. He whispered the word death over and over again while trembling on his feet, looking around frantically as if he didn't know where to rest his gaze, what to do next. He heard Seto shouting from across the perspex but paid it no mind, or rather couldn't hear him anymore. Yami was in the darkness now, the voices from before yelling loudly in his ears, pulling at his arms and pushing him around, provoking him. He freaked and yelled, collapsing on his knees while covering his own ears with his hands as a means of shutting them up, in vain.

Yugi looked behind him, startled by the sudden outburst of yelling a few boots away from his. He heard his grandfather ask him through the phone what was going on, but didn't respond. As he looked right, he saw how Yami was sitting with his knees on the floor, hands in his hair and scratching the skin on his face, screaming like a lunatic 'shut up shut up shut up'. Two guards ran towards the convict, trying to restrain him, but Yami pushed them away and snapped, his previous agonizing temperament shifting toward pure rage that hauled to the guards. People around him shouted, Seto yelled through the phone and slammed on the window, other inmates ran away. But Yugi remained where he was, in his seat, oblivious to the many cries he heard from his grandpa.

Yami roared, pushing one of the guards dead on against the wall, smacking a large cap in his scalp that began bleeding. He turned his bloodshed gaze to the other guard who was reaching for his gun, effectively pinning him down on the floor. He yelled in the man's face as if beaconing his territory, receiving distressed pleas from his hostage that wanted to escape before the serial-killer would kill him. But it was too late, Yami tugged his thumbs in the man's eyes, pushing harder and harder until he bore his way through the man's eyeballs, burrowing right through the sockets. Once he had effectively squashed the eyes, he slammed the guard's head on the floor several times, all in the while yelling in rage while the man beneath him yelled in pain. A few more thuds and the yelling stopped, Yami breathed erratically, finally having hushed the voices in his head for now. He looked up, blood trickling down his face that had sputtered on him, watching as those amethyst eyes were still looking down at him, the boy frozen in fear in his spot.

He smiled at the boy, a grin with bare teeth, and Yugi recoiled at the display. Watching without much expression, Yami was shut in the shoulder and then restrained by a team of chaperons before they dragged him away, while the chaos remained where it had been left, people crying over the loss of their colleague.

* * *

Yami never returned after that. He was sent back to the SHU to cool down for another month, by then the news of his punishment having reached every country around the world. Yami was to be executed in three months, but they never got to do the job. Why? Because he had never returned after being put in solitary confinement, and the inmates had their own theory of why that was.

Yami had escaped. The staff wanted to keep it quiet, but it was the only explanation. To prove their speculations, Bakura had vanished as well. He had punched his own hand against the wall until it broke so he could go to the infirmary, but never returned either. It could only mean that his lapdog had come with him.

Life went on between the prison walls, but despite the most insane of them all having left the facility, Yugi had never felt less safe. Yami had been his guaranty ticket to get out of this hellhole alive and well, but now he was barely holding up. People constantly challenged Joey into fights, sometimes managing to strike him down, and in the process able to do whatever they wanted with Yugi. It happened every month or so, but Yugi was losing his sanity and growing suicidal thoughts, every day more tenacious.

About a month after the serial-killers' breakout, Yugi received a letter from an unidentified address. He opened the envelope only to find a single piece of toiletpaper. It was hastily written in a liquid Yugi could not guess, but that wasn't the point of it. The only thing that scared him was the message written across.

_'I'll be coming for you.'_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: the note**

Yugi looked up at the night-sky again, trying to remember exactly where every star was and seeking a pattern among them. The sparkling light of those stars reflected in his eyes as sunlight in a pool of water, emphasizing his eyes with a beautiful shine to it.

It was awfully quiet in his room, almost too quiet. Everything in his bedroom had remained untouched in his two years of absence, his grandfather wouldn't dare replace any of it, if only to dust it off and then go back to cooking for two because he had never really gotten used to cooking for only one person in those two years where Yugi had remained in prison. To think that it had only been one week since he had been released.

Yugi had been awfully confused in those first few days. For the first time in two years, he was able to choose how he wanted to spend his day and what he would like to eat. His grandpa suggested to go and eat out for Yugi's favourite food at Burger World, but surprisingly enough Yugi had requested for a simple, freshly-cooked meal instead. Burgers always sound appealing, but he had longed from something home-made and healthy, and his grandfather's cooking honoured that request.

Most of his days, Yugi would do things that he was able to do in prison as well, such as reading books and playing games. It was only on the sixth day that he had decided to take a stroll by himself and walk around Domino to go and check out if anything had changed while he was absent. But the abundance of people and noise had turned him on his heals after only ten minutes. Never in his life had he imagined to turn so touchy after returning from prison. Every person around him that needn't be there was too much for him, and every sound that lingered he would cut off by listening to meditation music. Too much of both and he got a terrible headache that would remain there until he would fall asleep.

Yugi smiled, enjoying the silence. Tomorrow he would visit Jou, he would be out in a few weeks as well, and Yugi wanted to keep contact with him if possible. The guy had helped him out on multiple occasions after Yami was gone. Perhaps not successful every time, but Yugi appreciated the gesture.

Yami. Would he still be out there somewhere? And what would he be doing? Inmates had started waging bets during free times, saying that he wouldn't last a month without killing another person because he was, after all, a psychopath. But The serial-killer had remained steady and invisible, his trail left cold and his case unsolved, now another blunder on the FBI's part that no one spoke off.

'I'll be coming for you', what did it mean? Moreover, when would that be? Yugi shuddered when remembering the messily written letters on the draft of toilet paper. After a panic-attack that had lasted for about two hours, he had thrown the message in his toilet and flushed it to never reread it again. That had been a refreshing idea on his part, but now that he had gotten out, he wished he had kept it to perhaps find a code, a warning, a date, anything that would warn when or where that prophecy would come true. Yami was on the loose, and Yugi just had hard luck of having drawn his attention.

Getting up from his desk, Yugi steadily placed both his hands on the table as a means of security, trying to push back the thoughts of that dreadful place. His psychologist had told him he would take a long time to heal and function properly in society again due to the emotional and physical abuse. It was no surprise that Yugi would think back about his days in prison every so often, but it was important that he would not lose himself in the process. Watching something boring on tv usually helped with that.

Turning around, he halted for a few seconds. There was something... strange, like an daftly-smelling aura lingering about the room that had caught his attention, even if that was impossible. The door was locked to both his room and the house itself. Looking to his left, he suddenly noticed the tilt in his roof-window that was open, but he clearly remembered having opened it himself when he had needed some fresh air.

He was just acting paranoid, that was it. It was a side-effect his psychologist had explained on his last visit when he had explained her he sometimes saw crimson eyes instead of his own, violet ones. The colour had frightened him at first, but now he had gotten used to it, and had almost felt more secure upon staring back at their demonic colour. Surely this was all just his imagination getting the better of him.

Taking three steady steps, Yugi looked back when he thought he heard something. There was no one behind him however, just his cluttered desk with several pens and ripped-out notes he collected in a box, most of them hastily drafted poems or small drawings that he drew whenever he was trying to figure out what he was thinking about. None of them ever made sense, but he was reluctant to throw them away.

Amidst the mess however, he noticed a small, prominent note that stuck out from the rest for reasons that he did not understand, but the note appealed to him and made him step forward. Picking up the note, Yugi read the words carefully before swallowing his tongue and dropping it, the paper feathering down in dancing waves until it reached the ground, as if a signal for Yugi to wake up.

_'I'll be coming for you.'_

Yugi snapped, his eyes turning white in horror, and turned around to run out of his room, until a shadow emerged before him to which he collapsed. Dreadfully looking up, it was for the first time that he saw crimson eyes looking back at him by the means of a different man instead of his mirror, and Yugi wanted to yell. The shadow stalled forward and secured Yugi's cry with his hand, ultimately dropping Yugi unconscious with the spiced cloth he had pressed against his nose. The boy studded to the ground like an animal, sleeping soundly. Above him, the shadow lurked and began collecting the unconscious body.

Yami bit his underlip. There was a knife in his hand but that is where it remained, unused. Looking over the boy's body, he noticed how his own went stern and immobile. This was the moment he had been preparing for ever since he had escaped out of prison, even having went as far as returning back to Japan in order to execute it, even if it was too risky. He had been willing to take the risk in order to find the one person that had drawn his attention for the first time in his life, the one person that had stirred something inside of him and hadn't killed when he had gotten the chance. It frustrated him to no end. If he wouldn't kill the boy, the voice in his head would just continue yelling, and Ra, it had been yelling so loud lately.

Picking up the knife, Yami raised his hand and clenched his teeth, grabbing the weapon harshly as if holding on for more courage. The knife lingered in the air, trembling by Yami's grasp, but never moved. He couldn't move it. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't do it. Piercing his eyes closed, Yami charged the knife closer towards the body but froze in the process. Furious, Yami screamed aloud in a growling fashion, tossing the knife aside. He couldn't do it, he was so close, but he couldn't do it. What should he do? What should he do? Those voice in his head kept yelling, he couldn't take it anymore! The boy had to die! He had to!

Panicking, Yami's hands were all over his own face, tugging in his hair and scratching his own skin. He didn't know what to do, didn't know how to solve this. He had been preparing for this moment for so long! If he left the boy behind, he'd never hush the voices even if it was for a little while, but at least it'd be silent for a few weeks, just like with his previous killings.

His trembling eyes drifted back on the boy's serene face, as if it was mocking him. Yami groaned. He collected himself from the floor, hastily picking up the unconscious body and tossed it over his shoulder.

And then he just ran.

* * *

What wakes up Yugi next is not his body beckoning him for water or food or any of that matter. It was not because of the stinging light of the fluorescent lamps that bore through his eyelids, nor the creaking of old metal that only seemed to get louder in the half-empty, gigantic transport garage of the ship he was currently residing in. No, it was actually the smell of the sea. Yugi woke up from the saltiness that had seemed to plant itself on his already dry lips. Still dozed off, he licked them automatically, and tasted the salt in the air with it. It was this particular taste that seemed to call him from his ever so long sleep.

He couldn't remember the last time he had been by the sea. It was probably more than ten years ago, if he calculated right. At the age of eleven, his grandpa had taken him to the sea one time, but Yugi had never liked it, so they had never returned either.

Yugi's eyes shut open, remembering the memory so vividly. Upon awakening, all he saw was the gray, shining colour of stale metal that poorly decorated the entire container ship. At first he remained calm by trying to take in his environment, guessing soon enough by the rocking he was apparently on a ship, but later his movements turned more frantic. Yugi realized he was tied down, both arms and legs, and the only way to move was to wriggle his way left and right by rolling over. This realization frightened him, but not enough to scream yet. The only exposure of stress he released was cold sweat, and a quickened rhythm of breathing.

Rolling himself over, all he really saw were large, wooden crates piled up, some reaching the 30-foot ceiling while others didn't. He tried hard to remember how he had ended up here, but his memories were hazy.

"You're awake."

Yugi turned, seeing a guy about his age looking at him with large, dark-brown eyes. He smiled reassuringly at him, before straightening his back that was currently resting against the wall. His face appeared kind, but there was a slight hint of secrecy that Yugi didn't trust. The boy looked completely harmless, but Yugi wasn't really in a position to trust so easily either.

Yugi yelped when the guy strode towards him, trying his best to crawl away as good as possible, mimicking the movements of a worm if only to get some distance between them. He caught up rather quickly however, and sat on his knees next to Yugi who still struggled to get away.

As the boy chuckled, Yugi glanced sideways to meet the innocent eyes of this white-haired stranger. He was being awfully nice and Yugi didn't trust it.

"You're funny," he smiled and rolled Yugi over so that he was more comfortable, with the necessary reluctance of the hostage however. "Don't worry, I won't harm you. My name's Ryou"

"Where am I?" Yugi asked almost immediately.

"At sea, obviously," he responded and looked around as if figuring out where that was exactly, shame there weren't any windows down here. "Though I don't know where were going, to be honest..."

Yugi quirked his brow. Perhaps this guy was being kidnapped just like him? But then why wasn't he tied down? "Are we being kidnapped?" he asked, a bit baffled by his own stupid question but then again, couldn't really be blamed.

"No I, I wouldn't call it kidnapping. More like, travelling."

Travelling?! What the hell was up with this guy?!

"Please, I need to know, why am I here?! Where are we going?! Who brought me here?! I don't understand anything!"

The desperate cries from the purple-eyed boy seemed to get through the stranger, but as if remembering something, held his breath in the process of providing an answer. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. You'll be fine, I promise."

Hearing a door opening from afar, the stranger turned his head and walked back to his previous spot, ignoring the pleas from Yugi who had started to release his tears in confusion. He was scared and didn't understand why he was here, and the boy's answers only got him more confused. Trying to silence his own cries, Yugi focused on the conversation outside of the large container.

"_So what?! You're just going to carry him along, like an extra bag of luggage while you go into hiding?! Did you even think about what –"_

"_I never asked your help!" _

"_No, you just rammed in my door and demanded me to arrange a shipping across the border, you fucking idiot!"_

Ending the conversation, the door was suddenly opened with an aggressive swing. Yugi hitched, closing his eyes as if pretending to be asleep, but his quivering sobs revealing the truth instead. He whined, scared when he could hear footsteps striding down toward him and one of the men from before just yelling 'Atem, Atem!' repeatedly.

Being rolled on his back, Yugi's gaze froze at the sight of the devil's eyes, boring right though him like fire. Terrified, he released a loud scream before Yami grabbed his shoulders and shook him violently, his shoulders hitting the hard floor several times and starting to ache. He was scared beyond his wildest nightmares, this had been everything he had not wished to come true. The very man who had tried to kill him had come after him, just like he promised! Was he going to kill him this time?

"WHY CAN'T YOU JUST FUCKING DIE?!"

Yugi winced every time his back was being slammed on the ground. A few feet away from them, the stranger named Ryou had hid himself behind the serial-killer Yugi recognized as Bakura. He held his arms protectively over the boy.

After a few more hits, Yami stopped his raging and let go of Yugi's shoulder, watching while sitting on top of him as the boy was struggling and crying to get out. He was babbling incoherently, sobbing things that Yami barely understood nor cared. This was the kid who he couldn't kill? An adult that looked like a fucking twelve-year old and acted like one?

"Would you shut the fuck up!" Yami spat and silenced him with the palm of his hand, successfully muffling the nagging of his hostage. His roaring seemed to have the opposite effect however. The noise was perhaps restrained, but Yugi was only crying more severely.

Yugi smelled blood. He even tasted it as some of the blood was on Yami's palm. It tasted extremely bitter and made him nauseous. Upon closer investigation, Yugi dared to open his eyes enough to see how blood was smeared all over the serial-killer's face and had stalled widely across his shirt and hands. The sight made him tremble, but also stopped his cries, too shocked by terror, afraid that he would soon meet the same faith. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"Why don't you just... fucking die," Yami repeated, only more defeated this time. Yugi stiffened at the proximity of their bodies. Yami lied on top of him, his legs around Yugi's waist, while the man had reached down to bury his face in Yugi's neck. He felt the hot breath of his killer moistening his skin, too engulfed with his fear that he hadn't even noticed the arousal brushing against his hips. Yami had turned awfully calm, but Yugi only feared it was the calm before the storm. He swallowed thickly, revealing the insecurity in his actions, and Yami just nestled deeper, draping his arms around his back and holding him possessively. Yugi saw out of the corner of his eyes that Ryou and Bakura were walking out of the room, only adding to his fear. What was going to happen to him? Why were they leaving? He didn't want to be left alone with this psycho!

Yami rocked himself against Yugi's body, making the boy beneath him shiver at the friction. For a moment, Yugi was scared he was going to get raped before being killed, but Yami just repeated the rocking motion without doing anything more. It confused him to no end as he bit the inside of his cheek, trying hard not to focus on the obvious erection in Yami's pants. First he was telling him to die, now he was basically dry-humping him?!

Yami groaned deeply. He had wanted to do this the first time he had been close to the boy, back in prison, but had never let himself. These feelings confused him. He had never been attracted to anyone before having met this kid, and couldn't understand how he could feel anything for anyone for that matter. Even the love he had felt for his mother he had shattered by killing her. So why was this different? And why did he want to indulge himself in sexual contact with him?

He had never had a girlfriend before in his life, had never masturbated or had perhaps tried once, but had never managed to finish. Hell, he barely felt anything close to arousal except perhaps the moment of killing someone. To be honest, he had always sincerely believed he was asexual, it made sense why he had never been curious to have intercourse even if he had had the chance. The thought just didn't appeal to him, he didn't see the benefits in it, and he found sex and masturbation weak and even disgusting. There was nothing, absolutely nothing that had ever convinced him to try it out. Up until now.

Yami was actually enjoying this. He didn't understand why, but he craved for more of this friction. So he continued his rocking gesture, probing his length against Yugi's flat one, just releasing all of this pent-up frustration and exploding into a pool of arousal that had never been there before. He moaned deeper in Yugi's neck, quickening his throbbing and clenching his teeth more severely. Nothing of what he was feeling made sense to him, everything was new and frightening, but also exciting and convincing. He appreciated that Yugi just let him do what he was doing, the boy not making a sound in the process and having given up on squirming his way out. This was nothing, Yugi thought. If this would satisfy him, he'd be fine, he'd live another day, he'd had worse back in jail. So he bid away his pride, focussing on something else entirely so that Yami could finish his business.

Yugi turned his head left as Yami groaned into the croak of his neck, filling his ears with musings of appreciation and pleasure. His last strides were hard and long as Yami eventually came in his pants, muffling his own embarrassing sounds by biting on the provided flesh lightly. Yugi winced at the teeth planted in his skin but didn't move. It wasn't painful, so he just let it happen.

The serial-killer panted, still residing around the boy's warm body, allowing himself a moment to catch his breath. What had just happened frightened him, feeling like a little kid experiences a wet dream for the first time. All these new emotions and feelings were unexplored territory that he preferably not trespassed, but now was forced to walk anyway. It didn't make sense to him how someone could make him feel so light-headed and weak, exposing his every vulnerability. He didn't like the idea of being emotionally naked to someone at all.

Then the problem still remained that that voice was still pulling at his conscience, demanding him to kill the boy. He had taken the leisure of quickly disposing of a young woman before being shipped, a rather quick and clean death of which he knew he shouldn't, but had done nonetheless in the hopes of shutting the voice up. But it was still there, nonstop yelling in his ear, asking him something he couldn't do.

Still somewhat out of breath and baffled by his own actions, Yami took a sitting position still on top of the boy. Yugi looked back at him, for a moment there not even feeling any fear, but it quickly returned when Yami reached for a cloth at the back of his pants and pushed it under Yugi's nose. He tried to avoid breathing in the smell, but couldn't, falling soundly asleep only a few seconds after.

* * *

Let me know what you think whenever you have the chance, I was excited about starting this story so I began writing it - once again - in the middle of two others (I have too much imagination)


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: talking voices**

Whatever anesthetizer it was they used on him, it was giving Yugi a terrible headache. So pressing actually, that he first thought he was being crushed by a rock upon awakening. A stench of sewing water tinkered through his nostrils that made him want to vomit, but he swallowed it down instead. It wasn't nearly as pleasant as being awoken by the fresh air of sea-water, but he appreciated being on solid ground again. Not that Yugi was easily seasick, but spending a few hours lying down on a boat took its toll.

He carefully opened his eyes, only seeing a dim colour of mocha brown that seemed to be the ceiling. The throbbing pain in his head made him reach for it, massaging his scalp to ease the pain. Other then that there was little yet he saw, though he didn't try to push himself either. He woke up after a full ten minutes, growing weary of his environment.

As if his weight had tripled, Yugi pushed himself from the bed to have a look at his surroundings, view still blurry but sharp enough to understand where he was seated in. It appeared to be a defiled apartment, puny that is, the bed in the living-room and the only separate room most probably the bathroom. It was filthy and decaying, dark spots of mould covering around cracks in the walls and wallpaper curling down. On the floor were several objects scattered such as clothes, towels and even trash. Nothing appealing about this apartment whatsoever, but probably the best-fitting hideout there was.

Yugi heaved on his feet, taking his time to get his legs adjusted. By the feels of things, he had been out for a pretty long time. Actually, now that he was awake, he realized how sore and hungry he was. Yet he didn't have time to worry about that. He needed a way out of here, and he was lucky enough to be alone and untied, so this might be his only chance. He looked around, first skimming through the stuff he could find to perhaps have an idea of who it belonged to. Other than plain-looking clothes and leftovers of tv-dinner, nothing gave away what he was dealing with. Then he went for the doors and windows. One door opened to the small bathroom that smelled of sewers even stronger, the other was closed and probably led to the hall. Yugi tried opening it, but to no avail. Then he went for the windows. Outside iron bars protected the windows so even if he broke them, there was still no way he could climb out of here. And yelling wasn't an option either, they were on at least the twentieth floor.

Yugi looked around outside the window, recognizing some of the language and guessed it was probably Chinese, so it meant they had crossed the border. This ultimately meant that Yami had successfully kidnapped him out of the country and that there was no way for him to safely return to Japan now anymore. This particular realization snapped Yugi, ultimately freaking him out.

Beginning to bang loudly on the door, yelling and screaming for someone, anyone to save him out of this nightmare, he couldn't control his tears anymore. He was desperate for an escape and afraid that he might never get another shot after this one. But the louder he yelled and the harder he smashed, his faith grew more weary. No one was coming, no one heard, Yugi was all alone, and he would die soon.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, and Yugi allowed himself to slide down against the door, weeping by the door while rocking himself back and forth. There was no escape for him anymore, and he understood that now more than ever. His life was officially over. It briefly reminded him of prison, which was ironic since he had only gotten out of it one week ago. Was his life doomed to experience only restriction? Did he deserve any of this? A poor, grimaced smile crossed Yugi's features. Was this how Karma worked? Then it truly was a bitch.

Yugi couldn't guess how long he had spent just sitting aimlessly on the floor, soothing himself with his arms, until he heard life across the door. Instead of beginning to slam on door to let the bypasser know he was imprisoned like he would've done a few hours ago, he did the exact opposite. The idea of being in a country of a language he did not master, and knew no one at all, frightened him. He didn't know who he was dealing with opposite from the wall, so instead he ran on his toes and hid himself behind the couch, peeking his head from behind it to have a closer look at the possible intruder.

When Yugi heard the rumbling of a key turning in its lock, he briefly pulled away his gaze but turned it to the door once more, his curiosity getting the better of him. It was followed by several other locks being opened, and it made Yugi anxious to wonder which one would be last. After the sixth, the hassling stopped, and the door creaked open, just enough to let the person who had unlocked it glide in without giving anyone who might walk by giving the chance to take a sneak inside.

Yugi flinched his head against the couch, looking at the ceiling with a pained expression. He hadn't seen much from the intruder but he had seen enough to know who he was. He'd recognize that familiar-looking hair anywhere.

Yami took his time to settle, taking off his jacket and dropping it on the floor, grabbing some stuff and putting in on the counter. His motions were slow and worn as he walked himself to the kitchen at which Yugi gasped. If Yami would turn around, he'd see Yugi behind the couch, and his life would be over.

His heart aggressively pounding in his chest, Yugi was having a hard time holding in his breath. He couldn't allow himself to make the smallest sound that would alert his presence as Yami was searching for water in the fridge and pouring himself a glass. He watched as the man not so casually picked up a glass that had already been standing there, obviously filthy, but using it nonetheless.

Yugi felt those devil's eyes on him, and his heart stopped beating, shutting his eyes closed tightly to brace himself. But as briefly as they had lingered on his hiding form, they had already left. Keeping his eyes closed for a few more minutes, Yugi was astonished to suddenly hear the talking of a soap series on the tv.

Phased, Yugi stood up and turned around, locking his violet eyes on the man whom was sitting in the couch behind him, skimming through multiple channels of a language he probably didn't understand. The boy's mouth dropped open, not understanding any of this charade. Why would anyone kidnap you if all they did was ignore you? And was he really eating left-over take-outs that looked awfully stale and perhaps even expired while watching life-style television?

Yugi didn't really know what to do for an entire hour. He just stood there, in the middle of the living-room, waiting, trying to attract as little attention as possible. And yet the more he moved, the louder he seemed to breathe, Yami never flinched. Wouldn't even share a glimpse with him. He seemed completely engrossed over a soap series of which he wouldn't understand a word, barely blinking his eyes like a dog watching his owner eat and waiting for him to drop something on the ground.

Instead of hiding in a corner and begging for mercy, begging for his life, Yugi did the opposite. He walked over to his kidnapper and took a seat across from him, in an armchair, watching the man closely. Even now, at this very moment, Yami had taken the leisure to rearrange his food so he could eat it with the pattern he was used to. And yet, even after Yugi had taken a seat beside him, Yami seemed too mesmerized by the television. Not once had he acknowledged Yugi, and dare the kid say that it perhaps bothered him?

Looking at the television screen, it was what looked like a ridiculously overdone game show where contestants had to climb on top of a slippery towers dressed in overalls covered in oil. Several slow-motions about failed attempts at which the players slid back to their starting ground were replayed over and over again, and Yugi watched it intently. The show was retarded, and yet Yami seemed to be entertained by it. Not that he was laughing or anything, but rather captivated by the simplicity of it. His crimson eyes had turned large while watching the screen, not shifting once from it.

Yugi found this alluring. As much as he feared this man, Yami looked so vulnerable in the state he was in now. Like a child seeing an animated show for the first time in his life, watching in awe.

When Yugi's stomach churned for attention, warning his owner that he was in desperate need for nourishment, Yugi winced at the sound. He quickly reached for his stomach as if it would diminish the sounds and froze when he felt Yami's eyes on him. Not daring to make eye-contact, he held his head low in fear for what was to come. When nothing came, Yugi carefully mustered to raise his head and, without intention, locked eyes with his captor, making him suck in his breath.

The serial-killer stared intensely back in those spellbinding amethyst eyes without saying a word, feeling awfully calm that is even if he hadn't felt like that in a while. Usually, he felt like a demon was sitting on his back all of the time panting in his neck. But now he just felt... serene.

Washing the oddity of these emotions quickly away, Yami stood up and walked passed his captive whom shrieked at the sudden movement and covered his head with his arms. The jacket he had dropped on the floor just moments ago he put back on while he reached for the keys in his pocket. Walking out of the door, he slammed it shut before Yugi could ask where he was going. Locking one after the other to ensure his captive's lodging, stealthily moving back out of the apartment complex.

Yugi stood at the door with dubious tears waiting to spill in his eyes, confused by nothing and everything at the same time. He had yelled for Yami to not leave him alone in this place, but had never received an answer. His trembling eyes groping at nothing but the suffocating air that agitated around him rested on the now closed door, seeking comfort in the wooden frame. There was nothing he could do, no one he could reach, and the thought frightened him. What did Yami want with him? Why was he here in the first place if it didn't look like Yami had any painful intentions planned for him in the first place?

Yugi cried hysterically for the second time that day. He slammed the door over and over again in frustration rather than a source of freedom. Spending another good time tiring himself out while doing so, he finally collapsed on the floor and immediately after fell into a deep, troublesome sleep.

* * *

To be completely honest, Yugi was growing rather sick of waking up and not knowing what was happening around him. This time however, it was by the smell of inviting food, and it invited him to leave his dreamland in order to quench his hunger. The churning of his stomach returned aggressively and it was so loud and absorbing that Yugi could not fight his urge to sleep over it.

As his eyes shut open, in front of him stood a carton box of take-away food, and without second guessing the boy leaped from his resting-place to eagerly devour whatever food he was giving. It tasted greasy but it wasn't that bad, just largely heavy for someone whom hadn't eaten anything in two whole days.

While working his way through his noodles, Yugi noticed he had been lying on the bed again, although he was quite certain he had fallen asleep on the floor. Still munching on the pasta, his eyes scanned for anything out of the ordinary in the meek little room and noticed how Yami was back on the couch again, half-asleep but still half-conscious by the way he frowned his face and murmured in his sleep. He seemed to be in some sort of bad nightmare because he was twitching as well... This explained why Yugi always heard someone mumbling at night during his stay in prison.

Deciding not to push his luck, Yugi finished his food head-on before thinking of what to do next. He had to think carefully before trying anything at all.

Yami had returned and he was sleeping, this in itself was an advantage for Yugi. Perhaps he could search for the keys and get himself out of here? But then there was the chance that Yami was a light sleeper (which wouldn't surprise Yugi at all judging by what he saw) and that he would catch him. Then what? Would he kill him for trying to escape? Should he instead try to search for a phone or a way to access internet? Why had the man bothered to buy him food and put him back to bed again anyway?

Yugi grimaced, unable to find an answer to any of his problems. Whatever he was about to do next, it was going to backfire on him. He'd be better of spending his time taking care of himself to regain his energy before wasting it again.

There was a glass of water resting on the coffee-table near Yami, and it made Yugi realize how incredibly thirsty he was. He gulped audibly, considering if he really needed to risk waking the murdered for the mere sake of hydration, trying not to think of how long it had been since he had drunk anything at all. Just a drop of water wouldn't hurt, right? It's not like he was doing anything wrong by it?

The boy took his chance, stealthily sliding off the bed and tiptoeing to the coffee-table. As the glass of water was increasing in size while Yugi gained distance with it, he realized he was growing inconsiderate and impatient. He became painfully aware of how thirsty he really was and the glass was too inviting not to reach for. His trembling hands reached for the glassware, eyes concentrating on it, breath increasing rapidly, grabbing it with one swift move.

Yugi winced. Yami's hand painfully gripped around the smaller man's wrist and dug his nails in the flawless porcelain skin, nearly breaking through it. Feeling the pressure on his wrist being increased, he dropped the glassware on the floor where it fell with a loud thumb, the cool liquid running out of it and immediately absorbed by the carpeted floor. He dared not to look up, afraid of what he would see if he did. He bit his underlip in an attempt to suppress his cries but failed miserably, unable to hide the visual fear he displayed so obviously. Yami yanked the arm loose with a push, making Yugi fall on his knees.

Yugi trembled, vocally releasing a disturbed cry that could only be interpreted as the release of built-up stress. It was difficult for him to cope with all the tension and fear and he was slowly starting to lose his grip on his emotions. The young man sobbed on the floor while Yami walked passed him without sharing a word, leaving the boy on the floor in his misery. Yugi writhed together like an infant, wrapping his arms around his knees and trying to stop himself from crying any further. The expanse of the situation was getting to him. Evey time he worked himself up so thoroughly, afraid of what was to happen when he did something wrong, but not once had Yami reacted to it. And every time he feared for his life, but it was never in jeopardy. He felt like a trained dog afraid of a beating every time he wronged a trick, and it drove him crazy.

Yugi sniffled between his knees, feeling awfully tired even if he had slept for hours. Preferably he just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up from this nightmare, but he knew that wasn't going to happen. He was stuck here with a wanted serial-killer, probably for the rest of his life if this lunatic felt like keeping him around long enough. Basically anything that were to happen from now on for the rest of his life was by Yami's hands, and Yugi would suffer undergoing everything of it. Even if it meant torture, violence, perhaps even rape. Or maybe he had other things in mind for him. Maybe he would kill him steadily by starvation, or perhaps electrocute him with an instant death and then mutilate his body. Maybe he would use him as blackmail for money or as a prostitute.

His head jerked when he felt something cold press against the bare skin of his arm. He shrieked and titled his head, looking at a fresh glass of cold water being held by his captor Yugi frowned, not understanding what was going on and not trusting the situation either. As he looked at the man, he only saw the side of his tanned face looking away as if avoiding his gaze. He pushed the glass closer towards him when not being accepted, slight annoyance showing on his face, so Yugi decided to accept it nonetheless to avoid an argument.

Once the glass was offered, Yami stood back up and returned to the couch, letting his eyes wander to anything and nothing in particular that held his fascination for the briefest of moments, as long as he didn't have to look at the boy anymore. He had been startled by his sudden appearance, that was all. It had never been his intention to frighten him so much. And as much as he held a slight grudge towards the boy, he held a weak spot for him too, but it was still too fragile and incomprehensible for Yami to fully accept it. The feelings frightened him to no end, making him unsure about the entire position he was in and add more pressure to his already deprived mind. The voices in his head grew louder every time he got closer to the boy, that was why he tried hard to avoid his presence. But whatever it was that he did, the voices kept calling to him. They were screaming in his ear "kill, kill, kill already! Do it already, why haven't you done it yet?! Why don't you kill? Just kill!"

After bottoming the glass of water, Yugi shrieked at the sudden moan of distress that Yami released. He looked over at the man but it didn't look like he had fallen asleep again. It sounded more like he was in pain, but Yugi couldn't comprehend how. Watching as Yami's hands became frantic, the murderer searched for something on the floor that was in a bag, looking desperate to find it. With every object that he held which wasn't the one he was looking for, he grew more impatient and aggressive. Soon, he was throwing every junk he could muster across the room until he finally found what he was looking for and tore it out of the wrapping.

Yugi just watched with idle eyes, observing Yami's movements. He had never been in contact with drugs in his life, but he still knew what it looked like. Of that he had seen enough in movies and series. By the look of things, Yami had done this before. His procedure of liquidizing the powder in a spoon by holding a lighter below it and then injecting it in his body was done neatly and fluently, dare he say even professionally like a doctor. Yami groaned at the intrusion of the warm substance injected in his body, immediately doing his job once entering his veins and taking control over his mind. The man fell back on the couch, defeated, a poor excuse of a smile on his face that Yugi had never witnessed before.

This was perhaps his best chance to escape... and yet Yugi sat still on the floor, unable to tear his eyes away from the smiling murderer. His crimson eyes shone with amusement that made Yugi's heart swell. He looked... alluring in the state he was in. So ecstatic and playful with a hint of pride. There was something about this which attracted him by incomprehensible measures, and it drew him forward to the man. Yami was funny to watch when high, looking up in awe at the younger man before him, drinking in the sight. There wasn't the slightest sign of hostility when Yugi reached forward and waved his hand in front of his face to check if he was still aware of his environment, just pure kittenish behaviour as Yami reached for the hand in front of his face, trying to catch it, failing a few times that is, but once locked not letting go.

Yugi smiled as Yami seemed satisfied to have caught his hand, but abolished it when remembering how he had ended up here in the first place. Perhaps now was the time he could talk some sense into Yami, seeing as he usually wasn't the most articulate man.

"What... what do you want with me?" Yugi asked carefully, keeping eye-contact with his captor, or at the very least trying since Yami's interest was of very brief span. Yami reacted with a sheepish grin, looking away and fondling his fingers over every digit Yugi had.

"Why am I here?" he tried again, to no avail of course. The serial-killer was obviously too far off to respond to anything at all. Yugi mentally sighed but decided to let it slip, wanting to return to bed to catch some more wanted sleep, but was halted by Yami's hand still holding onto his.

"Shhht..." he whispered, letting his head hang low, "they... they're gone," he whispered some more. Yugi quirked an eye-brow and decided to take a seat next to him. He wasn't going to get out of Yami's grasp any time soon anyway. What did he mean, they? Was this a job he was doing for someone else? And if so, who would want to get rid of him? Yugi didn't have any enemies, nothing added up.

"Who?" Yugi asked.

Yami never responded, instead he ticked with the fingers of his free hand against his temple and then literally dropped in a deep, undisturbed sleep.

* * *

"Dinner's ready," Yugi briefed while stirring in the pot. Behind him he heard his captor approach the dining table and take a seat while waiting for Yugi to bring over the pots and pans. Yugi enjoyed this part of the day, it briefly reminded him of a normal situation at home, only without the hostage-situation and a mad person unable to communicate whatsoever.

Two weeks, that's how long he had been sharing that stuffy apartment with this, this psychopath. Two weeks of absolute insanity and a man driving him crazy with his inalterable patterns. Yami was like a child with a very heavy case of ASD, but only worse seeing as he was a full-grown man. Aside from his odd eating-habits, his repetitive template of spending the day was nerve-wrecking to watch. He did every puny detail the exact same way day and day out. It went as far as drinking the same amount of water every day, which was two bottles of water till the last drop. Yugi made the mistake once of pouring himself a glass from Yami's bottle and the man freaked, toppling over the table and then barging out of the apartment to get himself some much-needed heroin to subdue his overly emotional responses. Yugi had never tried anything like that again until tonight, that's why he was a bit scared to put down dinner on the table.

Yami had treated him fine in those two weeks. After five days of tv-dinner Yugi had started writing down shopping lists with ingredients for Yami to buy while going to the mall. The serial-killer had said nothing of it and had come home with the ingredients that had been written on the list, although he had been awfully curious the first evening while Yugi had been busy preparing dinner. If in a normal situation, Yugi had almost found it endearing. In so many ways he would remind him of a child, peeking over Yugi's shoulder to observe how Yugi rolled his onigiri-triangles, finding it engrossing to watch. Yugi would smile at the peak of interest on the man's behalf and asked him if he wanted to help, but Yami wouldn't of course. He never said anything to be honest. He would occasionally point at things to express himself or explain to Yugi where he was going, but that was about the end of it.

The odd thing about the situation was, every day, after dinner and after 'tv-time', Yami would always take his shot of heroin, were he in a bad or good mood. Sometimes it was a bit more greedy than other times, but in those sixteen days of having stayed here, there had only been two when Yami had skipped his daily dose. Once having taken it, Yami would fall asleep on Yugi's shoulder without saying a word, as if the drug was an excuse for him to make physical contact that he had never needed before. Yugi would almost gamble his life to guess that Yami had never really felt like this towards anyone at all. He was very stern about accidental brushes of skin-contact and avoided it by any chance, and whenever their was even the slightest intimate moment shared on television (even a kiss!) Yami would always skip to the next channel as not to witness any of the despicable display. Unfortunate, Yugi thought. If it weren't for his urge to kill, Yami would've attracted quite the interest, at least Yugi couldn't argue about the fact that the man was drop-dead gorgeous (which is highly ironic). It wouldn't be the first time the man would walk out of the bathroom completely naked, not even covered with a towel, and just resumed his seat in the couch to watch whatever was on tv that moment. Yugi would try hard at those moment to hide his blush and stop eying the man so obviously, but a sun-kissed skin like that with such a muscular body and waterdrops dripping down his back was quite the show.

So no, he wasn't really sure about his plan for tonight and had no idea of the possible outcome, didn't even understand why he bothered trying anyway, and seriously considered drawing back now that he still had the chance, but it was too late. Yami was growing impatient, so Yugi reached for the frying pan and dumped it on the table, trying hard to ignore the dumb-struck reaction on Yami's face when he placed the neatly wrapped dough-packages on his plate along with some dipping-sauce. He sat down robotically, serving himself some as well and immediately began eating as if everything was not out of the ordinary. Unfortunately for him, Yami did not.

The man just stared at the plate in front of him. Then he looked up to eye Yugi and look back at his food.

"It's called gyoza, like Americans called it dumplings..."

Yeah, that wasn't exactly what Yami wanted to hear. He could care less what it was called, he was more concerned how he was supposed to eat it.

Yugi was surprised to see that Yami picked up his chopsticks at began poking the food somewhat curiously, having feared that by now the table would've been flipped over again. Yami gently split the dough in two to investigate what was inside. This is the part that made him most probably snap, seeing as he could not separate his vegetables from his meat and, ultimately, yank him out of his autistic pattern.

As the plate was smacked against the wall, shattering to pieces while the carefully crafted gyoza followed to the ground as well, Yugi jumped. Yami stood up from his seat, the chair toppling over by his hazy maneuvers, he began pulling his own hair and scratching his skin like he always does when on edge. Yugi had seen the habit many times before, but never this desperate. The serial-killer seemed overly worked-up by the meaningless display and could not settle it down. He made an odd, wailing sound when he panicked about how to deal with the stress that had enabled this situation. Dropping himself on the ground, Yugi ran over to him while Yami seized for a needle and a bag of drugs but accidentally dropped it because of the tremor in his hands, making him moan a painful cry.

"Shht, shht it's okay, don't, okay? You don't -" and Yugi pulled the needle out of Yami's hands who wasn't the least bit cooperative but determined to calm down his captor. He still didn't understand why he bothered though. "- need this. Just calm down, listen to my voice. Calm down. Shhht."

The hushing had little effect however. Yami sobbed desperate cries as he was in need to silence the loud voices in his head. They always seemed to yell louder whenever his was in distress, this time no different. Seizing for his medicines, he could only reach for Yugi's back and instead clung on to the first point of security he could find. Yugi returned the awkward hug by rubbing Yami's back soothingly, still keeping the drugs out of his reach while subduing his temper.

"I – I can help," Yugi said and cupped Yami's face in his hands, trying to reach for his attention which was by now far off but tried nonetheless. "I can help you calm down." His voice wasn't confident at all, but it seemed to draw Yami's attention for now. The man calmed down, looking back at the boy's violet eyes with a pained expression. He was troubled Yugi could tell, and he didn't know why but he didn't like seeing Yami this way. That's why he wanted to help... perhaps Yami could conquer his darkest thoughts by different means than just drugs, if Yami would let him.

"Will you – will you let me?" Brushing his cheek against the older man's, Yugi waited for Yami to give him permission before taking his next move. He hadn't planned for this to happen, but the thought of Yami having to reach for drugs again just to ease his conscience was biting Yugi. Dear lord, he wanted to help this man! The man who had kidnapped him and had locked him up in this shitty, disgusting apartment but had never laid a finger on him once, had even fed him and offered him a bed while he rested on the couch so respectfully! And this was how Yugi was going to help him?!

Feeling how Yami nodded in response, still unsure about the situation but willing to take the risk, he gave his approval of Yugi's offer and awaited his maneuvers, unbeknown of what would happen. He shuddered when Yugi slowly glided his hands across Yami's bare arms, unfamiliar with the intimate contact but quickly adjusted to it. If he would perhaps allow himself to, he might find the stroking soothing. However, he found it strange and confusing.

Yugi continued hushing Yami, whispering while sliding his hands around the man's back, rubbing it in circling patterns that would calm him down. He felt the muscles in Yami's back retreat considerably and that made him happy, it meant he was getting somewhere. Upon sliding his hands underneath Yami's shirt, the restrain in the muscles returned and a whimper escaped the man's lips but Yugi ignored it, instead continuing his circular motions on the bare back to relax it once again. This seemed to work as well, because after a few minutes the muscles softened again.

Shifting his weight to his knees, Yugi leaned forward and told Yami to lie down by gently pushing on his chest. The man obliged silently and lied down on the carpeted floor, trying to digest whatever it was that he was feeling and making his heart pound so fast. He felt like he was on fire, but not necessarily painful for that matter, just really warm and excited.

With every new step, every new shift in Yugi's hands, Yami stiffened at the new touch at first but bit away the uneasiness in favour of exploring his newly-acquainted emotions. As much as he hated breaking routine, he was also awfully curious once it came down to it. He swallowed at the touch of the boy's lips kissing his neck and travelling south to place more chaste kisses on his chest. Yugi had taken the leisure of lifting his shirt which provided even more tingling sensations by the touch of his lips on bare skin. Every kiss lingered for a moment, pressing hard on his skin and a bit sticky from the sweat transpiring due to building tension. Yami was breathing heavily, his eyes rolling back in his head while one hand dug in the carpeted floor to hang onto something. He felt too hot, like he was going to explode any moment, and he didn't understand why.

Yugi continued his excursion downwards, kissing right around Yami's navel and just above his belt, fondling the clothing accessory with valour until his hands were stopped in the process. He looked up to see Yami had reached for his wrists to halt their movements, his face shiny from sweat and brows crooked in a troubled glance.

Yugi understood that he was frightened. This was probably as far as the man's sexual experience went, judging by his innocence and fear. What he didn't know was that Yami didn't so much fear the act rather than whatever emotions it bestowed upon him. Feeling drawn to someone so intimately, now that scared the living shit out of him.

"I'll go slow," he whispered and intertwined his hand with Yami's as a means of offering him his assurance. "Let me try and... if you don't like it I'll stop." Glaring at those crimson eyes, however troubled Yami may be, it convinced him enough to conquer his fears and let the boy do as he pleased. Even if the experience was scaring him and even if he had never been this intimate with anyone ever before, he would give it a try.

Yugi unzipped the belt and started working on the buttons, his hands trembling for obvious reasons that he tried hard to suppress. Of course he was afraid how Yami would react, the man was mentally insane! He was incredibly difficult to predict and reacted so unstable that Yugi didn't know what to expect. What if it freaked him out and he killed him? What if he found it amazing and demanded it from him every day? Wait, what was he doing again?

The younger man swallowed hard, trying to wash away his doubts while they still lingered in his head. Instead, he tugged down the pants and the older man's underwear came off with it, exposing Yami to his full nudity of manliness. Yugi gulped at the throbbing erection in front of his nose, almost feeling the heat radiating from the organ. He had not expected Yami to be _this_ big, especially since the man wasn't much taller than him.

Yami felt the lingering of Yugi's eyes on his form and shied away, reaching forward to cover himself with his hands, waking Yugi out of his stupor. The boy seized for the hands and pushed them apart, still holding on to one of them while his free hand stroked over the man's inner thigh. A long, awkward moan escaped Yami's lips with a sound that Yugi could barely register belonged to him. Yami was clearly uncomfortable by his exposure and crawling back on his consent.

Yugi felt he had to move fast if he wanted Yami to convince continuing their exploration. Diving down, he softly kissed the older man's inner thighs and licked it gently, earning purr after purr from his captor by the unfamiliar touches. Carefully, he slid his fingers over the erect manhood, startling the serial-killer for a moment, gently brushing the shaft and balls, considerate to not immediately go for the tip. He knew as well as any men this was the most sensitive part and perhaps too much to bare for Yami at once, seeing as he was already estranged enough by the sensations. As he heard approving noises, Yugi continued by slipping his tongue over the base, earning a more thorough grasp from Yami's hand still holding his. He found the acknowledgment pleasant and squeezed it back to earn another silent moan from his captor. It seemed Yugi's method of releasing Yami of his stress was working, because the man began losing himself in the moment.

Yami was in another world for a moment. He was sweating profoundly over a sensation he had never discovered before and was curious to find out more. Even if he found the tingling touches demanding and perhaps even constraining, there was something mesmerizing about them too that he wanted to understand. Why did he feel like this, and why had he never felt it before? Why was it just this young man who had this strange effect on him? He wanted to find out. So he bit his own tongue to silence himself from any more embarrassing sounds when the boy's tongue flicked over the tip of his erection, playfully licking him clean from prior precum. The smaller one continued by taking the entire shaft in his mouth, sucking it tenderly before flowing in a repetitive motion. The warm, tingling sensations went straight to Yami's head and made him bury his free hand in Yugi's hair. Looking up from his lying position, he found the sight of the younger man taking in all of him awfully fascinating and erotic to watch. But as much as he wanted to continue watching the display, the vibrations were simply too much for him to handle as he toppled back his head in utter satisfaction.

Yugi realized he was getting close to the climax, and began sucking the organ with as much valour as he could muster, hoping for release from his captor. The hurried friction added more heat to the already exploding experience Yami was facing, a heat he could not control anymore. This was getting too much, the bubbled up feelings going south, the boiling of his blood, the burning in his lower abdomen, it was driving him crazy. He was getting scared, why was the burning getting worse? Why did it feel like he was going to die any moment? He had to stop this, he had to!

Yanking on the boy's hair, Yugi eeped when pulled away from his performance. He searched for Yami's eyes and saw they had turned more blood-shed than the colour they already were, with a look that could kill instantly. The man pushed him off, scraping himself off the floor and jerked for the needle and heroin Yugi had so skillfully hidden under the couch. With his trousers still on his knees, he jumped to the bed to provide distance between each other and almost hectically began preparing himself a shot.

Yugi looked up from the floor, a bit dazzled by the sudden movements and unaware of what had just happened, when he saw Yami on the bed prodding the needle in his vein. The man made a freeing moan once the liquid entered his blood-system and he dropped on the bed with a wicked grin on his face and eyes wide open. He was fine now, he was far away again and no one was there to bother him, not even the voices. He would remain here for a few more hours until reality would kick him right back, but at least he was safe for now.

Sighing a defeated sigh, Yugi got up and strolled toward the bed, taking a seat next to Yami's trembling form whom had crawled in fetus-position and instantly seized for Yugi's hazy form in his delirious state. Yugi eased him by brushing the man's hair with his fingers and stroking his cheek. His attempt of relaxing the man via other means than drugs had failed, but maybe Yugi had gotten further than he had expected. Yami had allowed him to touch him intimately and had exposed himself physically, so not everything was in vain. Yugi could even call himself blessed, seeing as he had been the only one to have ever done that to him before, only... Yugi didn't know that.

They remained like that for a long time, just breathing, living, day-dreaming together, Yugi in a healthier way than Yami obviously. The younger one continued his soothing by petting the serial-killer like a cat in deep sleep, his body having created a natural rhythm of stroking that responded automatically. Yami enjoyed the touches, they made him feel lighter and perhaps even more sane, but it could also be the side-effects from the drugs. At any rate, he felt more comfortable than he had ever felt before with someone, and he savoured every second of it. Hands so elegant and soft didn't appear out of nowhere every day.

It was only after two hours or so, when Yami had slightly composed from the narcotic but still in a state of vagueness and blur, that he began mewling like an actual cat and responding to the strokes. As much as Yugi found the sudden shift in behaviour odd, he couldn't lie when he thought it was somewhat cute to watch too. He just had to forget that this was the man who had kidnapped him.

He purred and rolled in his half-sleeping state, lifting his head to coax Yugi into further petting, and became much more vocal than Yugi had ever heard. You can imagine his surprise when Yami suddenly yanked his hands towards his private parts.

Yugi huffed, but didn't pull away. Instead, he waited for Yami to tell him what to do, at which Yami led the hand over his sex and urged it to play with him, unmistakably sensitive to the touches by the many sounds he produced. One Yugi started doing what Yami wanted, Yami let go of the hand and closed his eyes, moaning well into the craving and seeming less ashamed by them. Yugi frowned slightly, unsure if what he was doing was the right thing at all, but Yami seemed so pleased that he simply could not bring himself to stop. Instead, he stroked the genital until it was enticed enough to go erect again in only seconds. Yugi had to focus himself on helping Yami with his arousal instead of being so distracted by the seize of his length, remembering himself that he had seen it only moments ago and shouldn't act so surprised anymore. But he couldn't help it, and now that Yami was still high on meds, he didn't notice Yugi's staring either, which provided him with a first-row seat to the stage. Truly, Yami was tempting to watch while losing himself so carelessly in his sexual pleasure, especially now that all brakes had been set loose and Yugi didn't have to hold back anymore. He pumped the organ hard, absorbing every sound, every stir that Yami made while being played so easily, getting aroused himself. Yet he ignored those thoughts and focused his attention fully on pleasuring his captor, trying hard to make him reach for his peak.

Only a minute later, after a very brief masturbation session but apparently enough, Yami spurted out his seamen and came all over Yugi's hands, on his stomach and partially on the bed. His breath was ragged and short, moaning out all of his pent-up frustrations from the many years of abstinence, experiencing what an orgasm was like for the first time in his life. Even a small laugh escaped his lips while panting in the afterglow, eyes shimmering with such emotion that Yugi was enchanted by them. Yami truly looked _happy_ in this moment, and even if that was perhaps a bit strange Yugi could only think of how beautiful he looked in his disheveled form, taken aback by what pleasure sex could bring forth. The older man's hands gripped for Yugi's somewhat frantically, trying to hold on to it but seemingly failing. There was a grin on his face that reminded Yugi of a drunken fool, but adorable nonetheless. Yami's eyes drooped close in fatigue, slowly giving into it and crawling deeper in the bed, ignoring the stains of sperm for now. Yugi smiled softly, blessing the man with a kiss on his temple before nestling himself beside his captor, wrapping his arms and legs around his back to spoon him in a loving embrace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: slipping up **

It was a bit like waking up with a hangover, but instead of drunk on alcohol it was rather drunk on sex. Either way, Yami could not appreciate the feeling as he awoke from a ridiculously long sleep of which he couldn't remember anything. He yawned, shifting somewhat in his spot, when feeling unfamiliar arms tightly wrapped around him. Panicking, Yami pushed the person out of bed and seized for the first weapon he could lay his hands on, being a fork, holding it in front of him protectively.

"Awtch..." Yugi whined and rubbed his sore butt. He was still somewhat sleepy from having woken so suddenly and could not recall how having ended up on the floor.

Yami stared at him ardently, trying to puzzle everything together that didn't make sense to him at all. The child had perhaps begun trusting him over their two weeks of sharing this room, it didn't mean he would willingly share a bed with him. That part didn't make sense to him at all. And why did he act so natural about it? Yami watched half-heartedly as the younger one ruffled his hair and tried rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

When suddenly feeling the cool breeze on his southern region, Yami snapped his head down to realize he was fully exposed with his pants drawn to his knees. Aggressively, he pulled them up and hid his member back where it belonged, feeling a now dried liquid that was spilled all over his stomach. He looked at it curiously, trying to figure out what it could be, until suddenly, he recognized it.

"W-wait! Where are you going?!" Yugi yelled as he watched Yami fixing his attire and trying to overhaul his appearance by brushing his hands through his hair. He searched for the keys and grabbed some money from the counter, immediately leaping to the door without sharing so much as a word with his captive. Yugi was upset that Yami so suddenly wanted to leave and how, not understanding what he had done wrong to deserve this kind of ardour. He ran after Yami, trying to block the door but in vain, fighting for the man to stay but only adding more anger to it.

Furious, Yami pushed Yugi away and the younger one fell on the ground, tears slowly starting to dwell in his eyes. He heard Yami groan before opening the door and shutting it loudly behind him, closing lock after lock again at which Yugi shed one tear after the other.

* * *

_I want – to kill. _

_I want to kill. _

Yami walked down the busy road of the street somewhat gawky, swirling left and right and bumping into some people which he ignored for the better cause. The voices in his head, they were so loud. They were yelling and screaming, pushing him, pulling at him, shouting, grabbing him, KILL KILL KILL!

Yami groaned, grasping his own hair and pulling it hard, focusing on his toes to try and subdue the voices, but it didn't work. It never worked. They had never yelled this loud before! He'd go insane at this rate if that wasn't already the case! He had to do something, kill something, anything!

What had that kid done to him? Obviously, Yami had initiated it, so far he could remember back about last night, but if he had known the consequences would be this disastrous, he would've never taken the bait! Yugi had already had the effect on Yami to aggravate his urge to kill, but after last night it had only gotten worse. To top it off, Yami was truly disgusted by his own actions and felt emotionally betrayed, utterly confused and on the brink of having a mental breakdown. That had not just happened! He had not just asked a guy to jerk him off, and he had not just come because of him! No no no! Sex is disgusting, it felt disgusting, he'd never do it again and forget about it, all of it! Every stroke, every touch, every coax. Every nibble of his lips, every kiss with his tongue, every jolt of electricity, every moan of pleasure, every swirl that tongue had drawn around his erection... Every heartbeat, every look, every smile... Every blink those amethyst eyes drew, every breath those lips escaped, every stroke those fingers placed...

Yami turned on his heels to withdraw in an alley. He stopped himself from banging his head loudly against the trashcan. This was going nowhere. At this rate, he would force himself upon the child. He could deny all he wanted, it was evident that all he craved were those gentle lips again on his skin. He had liked everything Yugi had done, and could not go back on it now.

_Kill! Kill already, kill! _

Yami's head was drawn to a door at the back of the alley, opening and revealing a young woman, mid-twenties, exiting what seemed like a night-club with a cigarette in her hand and a half-finished glass of liquor. She curiously looked over at him and winked suggestively, smiling at him as if inviting him over. Yami's lips were slightly parted by the display, not so much because the idea excited him, rather because other plans crossed his mind. He hadn't known what time it was when he had left Yugi at the apartment, but by the look of things it was the middle of the night, and nightlife in this city was clouded thickly. Was this an opportunity?

"Hey handsome," she sang and took another drag from her cigarette, pleased that the stranger had come over to her. "Not having a good time?" She asked.

Yami looked at her without emotions, his pupils considerably small for the middle of the night. He guessed she was talking about the club she had just escaped from, and shook his head.

"Yeah, me neither, party is boring. Wanna go to my place instead?"

At any other moment, Yami would've been revolted by the tarting display and would've killed her instantly, but he had gotten smarter over the year. So instead he nodded, following her steps sturdily while she walked her way back home. The entire walk, they said nothing to each other, but the woman had a large smile on her face that made Yami sick. It was about a twenty-minute walk to her apartment, and she willingly invited him in, opening the door with her keys and telling him to get inside. As soon as she closed the door however, she turned around and smothered her lips all over Yami's, ready for some fun activity in bed.

She was pushed away abruptly however, as Yami wiped away the saliva with his sleeve and shot daggers at her with his eyes. The woman was obviously confused, not understanding why he wanted to come with her to her apartment in the first place. "What? No kissing? Just sex then?"

Yami launched himself at her, reaching for her throat and restricting it from any access of air. The woman panicked and trampled with her legs, her hands clutching for his in an effort to relieve the restraint around her neck. Her skin turned pale and Yami watched psychotically with large eyes as the woman was dying slowly beneath him, reaching for the last bit of air and attempting to release herself one last time before her lungs gave in and she breathed no more. Her hassling stopped and her choking sounds as well, head immediately rolling sideways once Yami let go of her neck, panting hard.

She was dead, she was dead! Deaddeaddead! He couldn't hear the voices anymore, they were gone! The insane smile that usually erupted after a kill was plastered all over Yami's face, hands trembling with excitement and eyes turned wide in anticipation. He released a caught breath and laughed out loud, tossing back his head while enjoying the euphoria of his last kill. His head was as clear as daylight, the voices would leave him alone for the time being, he was free again!

Groping for her breasts, Yami began playing them like instruments, laughing at the corpse as his nails pressed hard down the cold skin. He pierced them slightly, averting blood and all the while beaming with a look of pure insanity. Oh how great it felt to kill once more! How gratifying it was to annihilate those who did not deserve a life at all, those who should be killed because of their incapability! He could do it every day! This was what he lived for! This was what thrived him!

He had to go back now, Yugi was waiting for him. The child, whom he held captive, whom he couldn't kill, was waiting for him. The irony. He had obviously fallen victim to Stockholm-syndrome, if he only knew how sick Yami truly was, how on the verge of insanity he was toppling down further toward the incarnation of hell itself. Yugi was waiting for him! He'd go back! He wanted to be closer to him now, he had fucking enjoyed having been sexually pleased by the child and he would not reject it anymore. If anything he would embrace it now! Yugi, he was ready for him, he wanted him! He'd go back to him and forget about everything! Right? Right?!

* * *

Yugi hadn't slept while Yami had been out. In fact, it had been quite the reverse. He was completely petrified the whole time Yami had gone out. The man had been in such a horrible state that it was impossible for Yugi to believe nothing had happened. What if he had gone out and killed someone, and the police had caught him? Would he just die away in this apartment for the rest of his life?

Yugi's eyes shot up as soon as he heard the rankling of the multiple locks being opened from the outside. It was done overwrought, but Yugi was blind to that for now. The only thing he felt was pure relieve upon witnessing his captor's return, which was in fact, if you think about it, by no means healthy for Yugi to think at all. Yugi walked to the door so he could see for himself nothing bad had happened to Yami, impatiently waiting at the door for the serial-killer to make his appearance.

The Egyptian pushed the door open, immediately locking eyes with the little one. They stared at each other for a full minute, a look of confusion evident on Yami's features as he noticed the comfort Yugi took in his return. Closing the door behind him, he was soon caught by Yugi's hands resting on his cheeks and examining him closely.

"You came back," he whispered, a short sigh escaping as he held his captor close, drowning in those large crimson pools. His pupils were large which was exceptional for him, usually they were so small and it only added to his fear-factor. However, now Yugi found himself lost in those eyes. They were beautiful if he would only appreciate them.

In a berserk manner, Yami grabbed Yugi's head and drew the younger one forth, locking their lips and practically devouring every but of skin he had around them. Yugi's eyes widened in shock, however he didn't draw back. The way Yami kissed him could almost be translated as desperate and Yugi couldn't help but feel flattered about that, even if he knew how wrong and sick that sounded.

Yami kissed him hungrily, his hands so securely locked around Yugi's head that it almost hurt. He parted his lips, nibbled on the younger ones', sucked on his tongue, bore his way through those teeth and kissed him passionately as if his life depended on it. Yugi finally let down his guard and closed his eyes, kissing back with the same valour and almost forgetting the situation he had been put in. He liked the taste of Yami, it was delirious and begged for more, and Yugi fully embraced the French kissing and sucking in his mouth. He had never been kissed this wild by anyone before, and he had to be honest that he liked it.

Releasing the boy's lips, Yami withdrew and looked the little one very intensely in the eyes. Yugi felt his whole body going numb by the incredulous stare he received, reading it as a determined lust for more. Where it had come from Yugi didn't comprehend, but it was apparent that Yami had surrendered to their previous sexual activities and could not be talked out of this one. Upon staring at each other, Yami soon smacked their lips together aggressively while Yugi let him, only adding to the tension in the air. The pleasure he received from being kissed like this made Yugi forget about everything, and he was determined to loose himself in it for this one moment.

Shoving the smaller one backwards, Yugi stepped back slowly to submit to Yami's instructions and fell back on the bed, immediately followed by the serial-killer still occupied with his mouth. Not once did he stop kissing him, he practically sucked out the boy's oxygen by the insistence of his kissing. Their tongues played in on each other, dancing and swirling around, unashamed of the drops of saliva that drooled out of their mouths while kissing so favourably. Yugi moaned into it, a strange vibration that made Yami curious for more, so he put more pressure on those lips and tugged his tongue deeper if that was even possible, receiving more and more of those sounds that Yami remembered he himself had released the last time as well. Preferring hearing it from the younger one instead, he remained with his tongue in the other's mouth and devoured it whole, too stubborn to ever release those lips again.

While Yugi felt the excitement in Yami's pants growing, brushing it against his, Yugi felt obliged to break the kiss at last to continue their act. They had been kissing for a good five minutes now and Yugi felt himself growing impatient. As much as he enjoyed the attention, a kiss was just a kiss in a series of other enjoyable acts they could commit. He reached down and groped Yami's erection hard, earning a shrieked yelp from the murdered that he hadn't expected but liked nonetheless.

Yami groaned into the touch, his brows furrowed as his sex was being stroked gently. He remembered how good it had felt the first time when Yugi had tried pleasuring him with his mouth and could only look forward to the rest of their night. The groans were replaced by muffled cries when Yami decided he wanted more of those kisses, coaxing Yugi into continue his touches by reaching for the boy's hand. So naturally he was surprised when Yugi took his hand and led him to his own erection, asking him to stroke him back. At first Yami had been a bit confused, but once he heard the mewls from Yugi by those touches he continued without questioning.

Yugi tossed back his head in his pillow, trying hard to suppress any more sounds from his lips. He couldn't remember the last time it had felt so great to be touched like this! Now that he thought of it, when was the last time he had had sex?

As soon as that question erupted in Yugi's head, Yami forced his hand down Yugi's pants and grabbed his member hard. Yugi yelled loudly, pushing back his captor as he remembered the answer to his own question, series of memories of being raped in prison replaying in his head. Yami looked at him startled and Yugi was scared that perhaps he would've turned angry and forced himself upon him, but he didn't. At this knowledge, Yugi silently began shedding tears because he felt safe enough to do so, only adding more confusion to his captor.

"I'm sorry," Yugi sobbed and went back to lie down on the bed, his hand covering his eyes, "it's just that, well, you know, the last time I did this was –." Yugi shut himself up and swallowed his sentence whole, unable to bring himself to speak out the words. Silently, he shed tear after tear, hearing the rustling of the blankets while Yami moved around him. Remembering what had happened back then was hard, he was still learning how to cope with it, it was why he had been going to a psychologist ever since he had left prison. Being now here, trapped in this apartment where he felt safe nonetheless, as Yami had never laid a finger on him, the tension that had come with it, the fear of all of it happening again, remembering how Yami had witnessed some of the rapes for himself and had actually saved him once from it too, it was too much for him to bare.

Yugi flinched as he felt a hand wrapping around his wrist and withdrawing it, looking right back at those crimson eyes. They were truly mesmerizing with those large pupils and the shine of the moonlight reflecting in them, but nonetheless they looked empty as well. In those two weeks of having spent with this man, Yugi had never learned to read the look in his eyes. He simply couldn't tell what was going on inside Yami's head and it bothered him to no extend.

Yami looked down upon him hard, his hand firmly wrapped around the younger one's wrist. With his other one, he reached for Yugi's tears and wiped away one, bringing the finger to his mouth and tasting the liquid. A bit frazzled, Yugi could only stare at the action. He was surprised when Yami thoroughly began wiping away the remain of his tears as if they were stains.

"I'll kill them for you." he spoke without emotion, staring back in those amethyst eyes. Yugi was speechless by those words, not so much for the message but rather because he never heard the man talk. Surprised by his own reaction, Yugi found himself nodding securely and sharing the last of his tears. He didn't know why, but he took reassurance in those words. He figured it was Yami's way of saying he'd protect him and kill for him if it meant clearing his conscience, and Yugi could only appreciate that.

"Can I...?" Yugi asked. Yami looked curiously at him, offering no remark on the matter. Hesitantly, Yugi nudged his chest to explain him to roll over. Yami complied silently, lying on his back while Yugi sat on top of him, pulling his shirt over his head and blushing hard, a gorgeous red colour plastered all over his cheeks that made Yami's heart skip faster if he could comprehend any of it. He watched intently while the younger one continued undressing, buttoning his pants and standing up a bit so he could remove those as well, and then finished by getting rid of his boxers, fully aware of the intense stare he received from his captor. He tossed the last garment aside and went back to sit on top of Yami, looking away with a mixture of embarrassment and excitement.

The longer Yami stared, the longer he felt the bulge in his pants return. He wasn't entirely scared of this effect anymore, but it startled him nonetheless how easily this boy accomplished getting him fully aroused. This time however, Yami embraced the emotion and was determined to explore it further, whatever it would bring tonight. And perhaps it was better that Yugi would take the leading role in this adventure, since Yami had no experience with it whatsoever and he doubted studying rapes in prison were any lead to how sex really was done at all.

Yugi leaned forward to kiss him gently, his lips pushing down on his in slow motions that coaxed into further arousal. The smaller one grabbed the hem of Yami's shirt and tugged it, signaling Yami that he would soon remove it. Yami appreciated the pace with which Yugi accompanied it, making very clear his notions so that Yami could prepare himself and no surprise would await him. As the autistic freak that he was, he needed this as much as Yugi needed it to overcome his negative emotions towards the act of sex.

Looking down at the athletic body of the Egyptian, Yugi could not hide the surprise when he saw what looked like a scar in the shape of an eye implanted on his chest. He had never seen it before but it was after all so small that it wasn't really detectable either. He ran his finger over the scar, seeing it was indeed the shape of an eye with around it a small triangle. However, when Yugi traced it, Yami abruptly pulled away his hand from it. It was clear that Yami had his secrets and did not want to expose this one to Yugi yet. So he continued as if nothing happened, undressing the lower parts of the body and getting rid of Yami's pants. At this, Yami somewhat flinched again by the unfamiliarity of the act and full exposure, but he didn't struggle either. It was just a fear that he had trouble of overcoming.

Being now fully naked, Yugi took his time to examine the body the same way Yami had done with him, finding it only fair he was allowed to do the same in return. Yami was truly the epitome of sexual desire, with a gorgeous body and beautiful skin. He was muscled and lenient, with long, strong legs and yet a slender figure. And his manhood was, well, impressive. Not that Yugi didn't already know that, still, it surprised him every time he saw it. He felt Yami's eyes looking at him while waiting for his approval, as if Yugi was judging his body and still had to determine whether it was worthy or not.

Yugi couldn't help but feel drawn to him instinctively, making him reach for those taut lips again and began kissing with such prowess that it took Yami aback. His hands reached for Yugi's hips and he began touching him everywhere, exploring every perfection of that milky skin and almost impatient to touch every part of it. His hands moved frantically, not knowing where to begin, over his back, his shoulder, his chest, arms, bottom and legs, even feet, he wanted to touch everything now that he had the chance. He felt a large bubble growing fondly in his heart that he welcomed and made his heart beat faster, with a warmth that made his body tingle. Yugi felt how his captor's body was heating further and embraced it, hugging it back tightly and desperately still fighting with their tongues. At last, Yugi released another everlasting kiss to explore down his neck and colourbone, licking it and sucking on it, leaving marks and bruises all over his caramel skin as an act of loving. Yami groaned at the touches, shivering by how neatly they were performed and groped Yugi's ass tightly, earning a gasp from the boy on top of him.

"Hmmm," Yugi hummed and continued the kissing, rubbing their erections together. This was a contact that Yami was yet unfamiliar with but enjoyed nonetheless. Openly moaning into the touch, Yami massaged Yugi's butt and dug his nails deeper like it was a lifesaver, receiving cry after cry from the smaller one. It did something strange to his already throbbing arousal and made him sweat profoundly, feeling himself getting closer to a climax already.

He watched with large eyes as Yugi suddenly sucked on a few fingers of his own hand and travelled with it to his opening, slightly encountering Yami's hand on the way. He was absolutely baffled when he realized Yugi pushed a finger inside and gasped audibly, his face dumbstruck by the strange action. Yugi smiled from his reaction, placing a chaste kiss on the lips and pushing another finger inside, still being faced with Yami's stunned face.

A third finger slipped in, and despite Yami still couldn't entirely comprehend what or why he was doing it, he took the leisure upon pleasuring Yugi by his member and began pumping on the organ like he remembered Yugi to have done it with his. This received and instant cry from the boy on top of him as he pierced his eyes closed and had to withdraw his own fingers so that he wouldn't immediately come. He was ready enough, Yugi figured, but he had wanted to make sure that it wouldn't be uncomfortable for him. Going too quickly and Yugi was certain he would panic and have flash-backs of what had happened in jail, and he really didn't want to kill the mood with that.

"I'm ready," Yugi whispered in Yami's ear and trembled. The words send a shiver down Yami's spine and he was certain that he couldn't leak any more than he already was. If by any chance, the words had almost made him release instantly. Either way, Yami remained steady on his back and waited patiently for Yugi to continue, not really knowing what to do next or what to expect. He squirmed a little when he felt Yugi grabbing for his erection and stroke it gently before he felt what was Yugi's opening resting right above it. He practically tore through the sheets once Yugi impaled himself.

Digging his nails hard in the mattress, Yami was finding it exceptionally hard not to come immediately as Yugi drove further down on top of him, shedding himself inside the mass of warmth and tightness. The cries that he released by that pulling tension made Yugi almost worried that perhaps he was hurting him, but he urged Yugi to continue by placing his hands on his hips and pushing him further down. Yugi took an awful long time completely taking in all of Yami, groaning and biting away small spikes of pain, trying hard to focus one something else as not to panic. At long last, Yami was fully shed inside of him, quite securely since he was so large, and Yugi waited before moving. He wanted to take his time to catch his breath, and by the look of things Yami could use it too. His body spasmed frantically as if he was going in shock and Yugi had to calm him down by kissing his chest and neck.

Yami's head was spinning dramatically. Now that he thought of it, he had greatly dramatized his first blowjob now that he experienced the full package. He was actually thinking about quitting, but was too proud and could only imagine how much effort this had taken for Yugi to go this far. He moaned loudly, his breath ragged while clutching for the sheets more desperately. Why was this so overwhelming? To think that he had been so ready to do this only half an hour ago. Any more minute and he was going to explode!

Yami mewled almost pathetically and his eyes rolled back like he was going to faint, getting Yugi all worried again. "Yami?" he called out, "Yami are you okay?"

The Egyptian nodded but it was clumsy, like he was drunk or had taken drugs again. Realizing that he was showing his weak side and did not like this at all, he reached for Yugi and pulled him close so that he could kiss him again. Yugi soon relaxed in the kiss, responding back and having another taste of his captor. They just loved licking each other's tongues so much that he couldn't help but give into it. Slowly, Yugi found it in himself to start moving, slightly reaching up to sit back down again while absorbing the long, loud moan Yami released in the kiss. He was getting extremely loud with every move he made, trying hard to focus on the kiss instead but finding it difficult. Yami could not deny how extremely satisfying this felt. This whole experience was so overwhelming and eye-opening for him that he could not comprehend how he had gone without it for 24 years.

Another cry was released and Yugi withdrew his lips, watching closely as Yami was struggling so hard to keep himself in check. Before Yugi had gone to prison, he had had two sexual relationships but his partners had never seemed this affected by it. Yami looked like he was going to die any moment! The Egyptian began slamming his hands on the mattress to restrain the broiling tension in his member but it was impossible. With every thrust Yugi finished, Yami couldn't suppress it anymore. He securely wrapped his arms around Yugi's back and pushed him as close to his own body as possible, with it causing friction between Yugi's member and Yami's stomach. Yugi yelped at the sudden contact, moaning along almost immediately. He was being smothered by the strong hold Yami performed on him as the man began crying louder and louder, moaning well into their commitment and completely losing himself in an exploding sensation that dulled all his senses. He lost his mind, rammed himself aggressively inside of the smaller one, Yugi crying out as well and ready to climax at any given moment. A burst of seamen erupted from his fully-shed erection as Yami cried out in pleasure and came inside, filling Yugi up with his load that leaked out of it by such a vast amount, and immediately after Yugi experienced the same eruption of joy as he too came on Yami's stomach and all over his chest, moaning and crying out in Yami's grip while he pumped in a few more times.

They both breathed heavily, still entangled in each other's arms, still on high from their orgasm. Yugi's eyes became awfully heavy upon realizing how exhausting their physical zeal had been. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and smelling the sweat of his captor beneath him which reassured him. Soon enough he fell in a deep sleep while Yami still caressed his back and breathed repetitively in his neck.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: a taste of freedom while being chained by obligation**

It was only a few hours later, but Yugi found himself waking up by the sound of hassling and running. He found it pleasant to, for once, not wake up with a terrible headache or spinning head of the aftereffect of drug, but it didn't change the fact that he was still exhausted further beyond. If one would let him, Yugi was certain he would be able to sleep for three days at a stretch, but time had never been on his side. So much was obvious when he awoke and around him, Yami was running nervously and gathering their stuff in sports-bags. It was interesting to see how Yami wasn't so autistic about packing his bags, or maybe he was just really worked up and it too much of a hurry.

"What's going on?" Yugi asked sleepily while rubbing his eyes, trying to polish out the sand. He felt Yami's eyes lingering on him while still packing, trying hard to fight away his fatigue. Figuring Yami wasn't the most talkative and probably wouldn't answer this time either, he looked across the room to see if perhaps Yami was pointing at something to make him understand what was going on, but did none so.

Dozing off again in a light slumber, Yugi eeped when he was suddenly being picked up bridal-style. "What are you doing? Let go!" His cheeks reddened madly and he tried to pretend that he wasn't embarrassed, but to no avail. His eyes widened further as Yami carried him to the bathroom and dropped Yugi gently on his feet, turning on the shower. Yugi looked curiously over the man's shoulder before he turned around and met his eyes with a blank expression, not betraying emotions of any kinds. The younger one grimaced, unsure of what was expected of him, finding it awfully awkward as Yami was staring him down but did nothing whatsoever. It was only after a few minutes that Yami bend forward and pulled Yugi's shirt over his head.

"Hold – hold on! I can do it myself!" Yugi exclaimed, blushing further if that was even possible. Yami looked confused at him before taking a step back, and the straight line that was his mouth seemed to drive Yugi insane. He couldn't read this man at all!

Yugi grabbed the man by his shoulders and made him turn around, walking him out of the bathroom before closing the door. He might've had sex with his yesterday, it didn't mean that he was going to shower right in front of his nose. Not that that had been Yami's intention, Yugi could guess that Yami just wanted to explain Yugi needed to shower, and since the man had never minded walking around naked in the living-room before, he probably just didn't understand that to Yugi it was embarrassing. Nevertheless, Yugi sighed deeply as he entered the shower and let his muscles relax while being softened by the hot water pouring down his skin. He had much needed a shower after last night, so this was rather nice. But it bothered him how he had to communicate with Yami. The man barely made use of words and trying to make out what the man was explaining to him was only draining Yugi's energy further. It might've gotten better after he learned that Yami wasn't about to hurt him any time soon, seeing as he had been emotionally exhausted the first week due to this fear, but it didn't mean that their situation now didn't add further to his stress. If anything, this way of living wasn't healthy at all for a man's emotional wellbeing.

Yugi rolled his eyes when he heard knocking on the door. "Just five more minutes!" he yelled back. Yami was also exceptionally impatient about these things. Two minutes alone on the toilet and he would scratch at te back of the door to know if Yugi was still there. It reminded him of a dog weeping behind the door as soon as his owner left for work.

Getting out again, Yugi made quick work of drying himself off and hurrying in his clothes. Another bang on the door and Yugi audibly ground his teeth, swinging open the door and almost shooting daggers while locking eyes with his captor. For a moment there he felt almost self-assured if he wasn't reminded of the fact that Yami still held him hostage. Yami stared numbly at the younger one while waiting for whatever it was that he waited for, earning a frown from Yugi who, once again, couldn't comprehend what Yami wanted him to do. He just stood there with an unreadable expression on his face, and if it had been one minute longer Yugi would've dared slapping him in the face. But the serial-killer made quick work of his stupor and shook his head, suddenly grabbing Yugi by his hand and yanking him forward. Yugi fell forward and clung on to him, almost tripping before the older one started moving and dragging Yugi along. He picked up one sports-bag and swung it over his back and then picked up the other while walking out of the room with Yugi still in his other hand, all without saying a word.

Yugi blushed profoundly by the intimate act. One could almost believe that perhaps they were a couple. He tried hard not to focus on this particular thought, but instead concentrated on the fact that he was finally, after two weeks of having been locked up in a room, leaving this place. And he wasn't even drugged, did Yami trust him not to betray his trust?

Yugi was almost in a running-pace while trying to keep up with the murderer. He had gotten curious as soon as they had left the apartment and Yugi wanted to take the opportunity and look around the building. As the walked down the stairs, Yugi suddenly understood why of all places Yami had chosen this complex. The halls were filthy with beer cans and cigarettes tossed everywhere. Graffiti decorated every corner of the wall neatly, some executed more professionally than others. It was the perfect hide-out for their situation while Yami tried solving his resolutions, and the perfect place to lock someone up without anyone noticing or hearing.

Downstairs, an old man, Yugi guessed in his late 70's, sat behind a counter while watching television. It was early in the morning, the sun had only just started setting and it sounded awfully quiet outside. Yugi felt a secure tug at his hand before Yami halted and turned on his heels, facing Yugi with a sturdy look. His captive gasped slightly while looking back, a bit taken back by his crimson eyes after noting that Yami was actually sending him a warning. Yugi could only translate it as: wait here and don't make a sound.

After Yugi nodded coolly, with the necessary hesitance he felt Yami letting go of his hand and walking to the counter. He only listened half at the conversation between him and the hotel manager while looking at the TV. The old man was probably foreign himself since the news had English subtitles so Yugi could at least understand what was being said.

"Are you travelling further south?" The man asked while handing over a clipboard to Yami whom signed it without responding. He peeped over his shoulder to notice a smaller child standing awkwardly a bit further away with a scutinized expression on his face, remembering him from when they had checked in the first day but that was about it. They were a strange pair, the man thought while given back the clipboard. Yami took out his wallet and began paying note after note on the table in Chinese renminbi. "Is he alright? He looks a bit frightened."

As much as the man tried conjuring up some small-talk, Yami simply kept ignoring him until he had paid the full amount of money in cash and then turned to pick up their bags again. While doing so, he noticed how Yugi was watching the news intently.

" _\- was a young woman, mid-twenties. There were no traces of rape but there are marks that the woman was probably choked to death. The only thing missing from here apartment is her car so the police asks to keep an eye out and call immediately for the following number plate."_

While the numbers were being announced, Yami flinched when he heard the old man continuing his rambling nonetheless. "Ah yes, tragic isn't it. There are some sick people out there if you ask me."

Without another exchange of words, Yami grabbed Yugi by his hand and dragged him out of the building, walking them to their car.

"Are we leaving?" Yugi asked. Again, no answer. He was getting seriously sick of Yami's strike in speech. Yanking away his hand, Yugi couldn't help but tremble when those crimson eyes were on him again, slightly agitated and questioning his motives. "I wanna know where we're going," he demanded. Had Yami ever considered that perhaps he was asking too much of him? He kept him locked up in a disheveled room for two weeks, barely spoke to him, they fuck once and now Yami expects him to follow him wherever they went?

Ignored like a hindrance, Yami turned around and walked to the car nonetheless, and Yugi could only follow. He was getting mad, and Yugi didn't like that. Hurrying after the older man, Yugi was about to say his thoughts until he suddenly saw the numberplate of the car that Yami had unlocked and began packing. He froze in his steps, he mouth gaping open when recognizing those numbers.

"Yami?" he asked exasperated. Yugi started shaking all over his body while his eyes were glued on the car, finding it difficult to breathe. "What is this?" he asked with a worried glance, but as Yami passed him while walking to the driver's seat, he wouldn't even look him in the eyes. "Yami?!" he asked more pressing, but still the man wouldn't answer him.

Yugi couldn't suppress his tears anymore. They had slowly started shedding and he suddenly felt incredibly nauseas. His view started rocking as if he were on a boat again and he needed to clear his head. Leaning forward, he suddenly couldn't hold it in any more. He threw up on the parking lot, emptying his entire stomach from last night's tv-dinner. Yami waited patiently for him to collect himself, looking away in shame because he knew he was the cause of Yugi's turmoil. The younger one panted hard after having barfed on the soil, leaning on the stolen car for support and gathering his thoughts. If he would get in this car now, would he be an accomplice? What was the purpose of staying with Yami if he couldn't kill him anyway? If, by any chance Yugi would find the guts to take a run for it, and he would run away, would Yami kill him after all? Was leaving an option at all?

Yugi whimpered while sobbing, confused about what to do. Anything seemed like the wrong choice to make right now, and yet he couldn't find it in his heart to leave either. But why? He didn't understand why. What was the point of staying? Why couldn't he just leave it behind? There was something pulling hard, keeping him close to Yami, but he didn't know what it was. He was afraid of this man and yet attracted at the same time. Why else had he decided to give himself to this man last night? It was an obvious appeal that he couldn't fight, or perhaps he didn't even want to. Maybe Yugi thrived on the idea of being kidnapped by a serial-killed and being on the run. Was he really that sick?

No words were spoken when Yugi finally took a seat next to Yami in the car. Yami turned his head to him and it looked like he was about to reach toward him, but Yugi showed him his hand as a means of telling him not to. His tears were bitter and he couldn't feel those tanned hands on him right now, not after finding out that Yami had killed a woman last night before he had come home to share intimacy. If Yugi had known, he would've said no, but he hadn't. He had pretty much rewarded Yami for having killed someone again, and it made him feel disgusting.

* * *

He had no idea where they were heading, all he knew was that they were heading west. They had been driving for five hours straight without a break, and Yugi had dozed off a few times but was fighting his fatigue hard. His senses were too much on alert for him to completely fall victim to it, and he wasn't sure if he was comfortable enough falling asleep next to this man anymore. He might've for the past two weeks, he suddenly felt a lot different about him now.

But it didn't drain his exhaustion. On top of that, Yami had been driving nonstop and was slowly starting to get edgy as well. Yugi looked around at the view, it was pretty much deserted and bald for the last hour now and not even the outside scene could entertain him anymore. As he looked over at his captive, he could see how Yami was paying only half his attention on the road. His thoughts seemed to have wandered far off again in an unknown place that Yugi couldn't reach. It was odd to think that he was now sitting so diligently next to this person while perhaps this could be his only chance of escape.

"Where are we going?" Yugi asked, his voice hoarse from not having talked or drunk in such a long time. From behind the steering wheel, Yami's brows furrowed but his lips were once again unphazed. "What are you going to do with me?"

Yugi clearly saw the agitation on those crimson eyes but grew more so himself. It bothered him tremendously that Yami didn't seem to care about his opinion whatsoever. He was taking Yugi's actions and cooperation for granted, while in reality he was still being kidnapped and was far away from home with a man that he knew nothing of. "Why am I here anyway? Why did you kidnap me if you're just going to drag me along, Yami?!"

He was so, so sick of crying, but Yami always seemed to get him there. Was it the stress from all the previous days or simply the fear Yugi didn't know, but he just couldn't hold them back anymore. In frustration, he blurted out more and more questions while tears streamed down his face. "I don't know what to do, Yami. I don't know what you want from me. Please, just let me go. I won't tell anyone I promise please –"

The car pulled over in a drastic turn and Yugi nearly toppled out of his seat. Taken aback by the sudden halting of the car, Yugi jumped when Yami turned toward him with burning rage in his eyes that made him cringe in his seat. It almost sounded like howling when Yami began yelling and grabbed Yugi by the hem of his shirt, getting dangerously close to him in the murderous state he was in now.

"DON'T YOU THINK THAT I WOULD'VE ALREADY KILLED YOU YOU IF I COULD?! THEY KEEP YELLING! THEY KEEP FUCKING YELLING FOR ME TO FUCKING KILL YOU, SO WHY, WHY THE FUCK CAN'T I KILL YOU ALREADY?!"

He was close to Yugi's face and the smaller one looked away in fear with shut eyes while being yelled at. He felt the ragged breath of his captor panting in his neck after finishing his speech, words that were incomprehensible but slowly starting to make sense in Yugi's head. These voices, 'they' as Yami referred to them, he kept talking about them, but what were they? Did he mean his conscience, or was he working for someone instead? Yugi didn't know.

The murderer let go of him and Yugi plunged back in his seat, hearing how Yami yelled loudly in his seat and stamped on the steering wheel a few more times. He needed to get out of there because he felt like doing something stupid, and although the voices in his head instructed him to kill this kid he wouldn't let himself, at least not yet. Until he couldn't figure out these occurrences in his heart whispering him otherwise, he wouldn't lay a finger on him. So instead, he hurried out of the car and released his anger and doubt on something else. Yugi could only watch as Yami started hitting the ground with his fist over and over again, letting go of all those bottled-up frustrations from the past weeks. Here he was, having planned this murder for two years, and he still couldn't bring himself to kill the kid. If it wasn't for his stupid heart, he wouldn't be in this shit!

The ground actually crackled from the repetitive slamming, due to the drought but also the strength. It was still surprising how strong Yami was for his height, but that only added to his fear-factor. Yugi was certain he had lost the ability to feel pain for a moment as he could only guess his hand should by now be fractured from all the pouncing. This man was absolutely insane.

His blood boiled while finally coming to his senses, releasing groans and cries out in the distance of their solitude, being far away from society. He wasn't sure how much of this he could still take. His feelings toward this kid made him feel light-headed and clueless as what to do with them. None of them made any sense and even if he tried hard to concentrate on them and perhaps discover what they meant to him, the only thing that he realized was that he had grown weak in the process by a boy that couldn't even hurt a fly. That mere thought was enough to set his teeth on edge but it wasn't like he could do anything about it. If only he could explain to Yugi what he was going through, how messed up his thoughts were in his head, how he had become the man that he was today. Suddenly, he remembered a flash-back, one from many many years ago, when he was about fourteen or so, and once the images flashed through his head he screamed loudly.

\- o -

"_Akefia... If my mom finds out I'm –"_

"_Oh shut up, snowflake. Your mom won't find out unless you tell her," his friend turned around and smirked at him. Atem grimaced poorly, expressing his doubt about the entire situation but too proud to crawl back home now. Akefia was sort of his personal breaking-boundaries friend that he hung out with despite many people telling him not too. But they were both fourteen back then, doing bad stuff was what appealed them. As long as they could prove themselves in front of the ladies._

"_Over here," Akefia called and showed for Atem to follow. Reluctant, Atem slid down the ramp where a trail of dust was left behind him before he jumped on the stone floor of the old tomb. People had never dared coming here ever since a team of diggers had settled on this very gravesight and had all died within a week from a peculiar disease. Akefia had dared him to join him on his quest, perhaps finding some jewelery or other valuables on the way while checking out the crypt. Of course Atem couldn't decline his chance of proving himself before his classmates, he'd be damned if Akefia would get more popular than he was. Not that Atem really had to worry about that, he was after all the richest and smartest kid in class. No one really liked Akefia since he lived in a foster-home and his hobby was being a pyromaniac._

"_I'm still not keen on this, Akefia. You have stupid ideas."_

"_Then you shouldn't have come along, snowflake."_

_Yami rolled his eyes at the insult. He'd been calling him that ever since they had met._

_Akefia budged in his seat when suddenly, he heard a click below his feet as one of the tiles on the floor had sunk deeper, and suddenly a hatch was being opened behind them that led to an underground tunnel._

"_Whoooaaa," Akefia exclaimed while whistling in approval. This was cool, they had to check this out!_

"_Akefia! Hold on!" Atem ran after him because Akefia had started sprinting as soon as he saw the secret door opening. Atem wasn't sure why, but he had a bad feeling about this and didn't want to get into any more trouble. Trespassing a grave was already boundary-breaking enough for today._

"_Wait up already!" Atem yelled and suddenly crashed into Akefia whom had stopped rather abruptly before a large golden coffin with the typical ancient Egyptian decorations carved in them. The burial was rather small and by the look of it not very ceremonial or festive. Usually, pharaohs or any other important people were buried in large tombstones or pyramids to celebrate their long-term reign, among several ornaments, jewelery and other expensive decorations. This one looked like it had been cast aside and judging by the size of the coffin, the one inside was probably young. Atem didn't like this one bit._

"_Akefia, don't. If you're opening that coffin I'm out!"_

"_Jeez, relax snowflake. There's no voodoo in this temple whatsoever," Akefia teased and knelt down next to the coffin, taking out his knife and trying to find an opening to unseal the box. Atem could only watch disgruntled while having been ignored again for his warnings. A cold chill suddenly erupted through his spine and Atem's eyes shot open. Akefia had unlocked the coffin._

_As the lit was being pushed aside by the pair, they both screamed their lungs out when seeing the decomposing body of a young man, unrecognizable, with open mouth and some of the bandages revealing leaking tissue of its flesh. Around the body were fluids with a horrible stench. It was Akefia who dared to turn back his head to their find and have a closer look at the mummy, Atem still too shaken to even dare and come closer to it. This was the very reason why he hated horror movies so much!_

"_Oh my god, don't touch that, that's disgusting!" Atem yelled as he saw Akefia poking the body experimentally, like he was expecting it to erect from the dead. "You're so gross!"_

"_Check it out!" Akefia said and grabbed something in his hand. It looked like a large, golden ring with at the centre a triangle and an eye, decorated with five pendants around it. As he looked at his side, he saw another item and took that one as well, tossing it to Atem before he could even think and grabbed it automatically, realizing only afterwards what treacherous item he was holding in his hands. He eeped loudly, his face covered by his bangs when his heart sunk to his feet in fear. This was not good, this was not good at all! What if this thing was... cursed?!_

"_You're annoying the crap out of me, you know that?" Akefia spat and turned his eyes on the item again, almost drowning in its captivity as he felt drawn to the eye._

"_Akefia?" Atem asked when noticing that his friend looked like he was daydreaming. His gaze was firmly fixed on the ring he was holding and it started creeping Atem out. "Akefia?" he asked again and looked at the item he was holding himself, a large golden pyramid with at the centre the eye of Horus. He realized only unconsciously that the item started glowing and was pulling his attention away from anything else, when suddenly..._

"_AAAAAAAAAAARGH!"_

\- o -

It was the exact same scream Yami produced upon remembering his past while his hands tugged around his ears and he began pulling at his own hair. He smashed his own face against the ground hard, once, twice, thrice, and again. He didn't want to remember, he wanted to forget everything. On that day, that dreadful day when his life had been flipped over completely, when everything had melted through his fingers and became an intangible mess.

Yugi ran over to him and instinctively placed his hand on Yami's forehead, earning a few pounding on it as well before Yami realized an object was in his way of hurting himself. He stopped with a wild shiver, breaking down into tears and sinking in a large heap of hopelessness, moaning out his own grief. Yugi grabbed him securely, wrapping his arms around his back and pushing them closer together so that Yami wouldn't break down on the ground. The older man sobbed loudly in Yugi's neck, tugging at his shirt while crying out soft words in a language he couldn't understand.

"They keep talking," Yami gasped, his voice broken while he sobbed over the troubles he experienced in his mind. He withdrew himself and held Yugi by his arms, locking their eyes together. Yugi almost gasped at the view in front of, touched by the emotions and grief Yami expressed before him. As much as it saddened him to see him so broken, it was beautiful to actually see an emotion on his usually impassive face. His crimson eyes had turned shiny and were shimmering in the sunlight by the tears that were reflected in them.

"Who?" Yugi asked, responding to his look with an equal amount of sincerity. He looked back hard at his captor, receiving a pained frown as response as Yami was finding it hard to talk about it. He had never told anyone about it, only Bakura knew simply because he was the same. It didn't mean they had ever admitted it to one another.

Yami pointed at his head, letting it hang low before dropping his arms back to the ground in defeat. Yugi tensed at the admission, realizing that he had taken a lot more on his sleeve than anticipated. Yami was insane, apparently he heard voices talking in his head, and apparently those voices were the reason why he had killed so many people. Yugi wasn't sure if he could help him at all. There was one thing he could do however...

"Look at me," Yugi whispered while making Yami look up. The Egyptian complied as he felt soft hands caressing his cheekbones, returning the glare Yugi had placed upon him with those soft amethyst eyes. Yami felt his heart stop beating for a moment when looking back at them, almost positive of the enchanting effect they had on him. "I'll make them go away," Yugi spoke with determination. "But you need to fight them too." Then there were a tense few seconds before Yugi drew forward and crushed their lips together.

Yami never withdrew. While also being shocked by the sudden outburst of shared emotions between them, he immediately closed his eyes as well and let himself envelop by the warm feelings that wavered in his stomach. He had been on the run for so long, had been running from himself. Every day was another day of fighting himself, shutting out the voices in his head and trying not to give into them, and he didn't have anyone who helped him. Sure, his nephew Seto had helped him disappear for a few years, but the war going on in his head was one that he had to subdue alone.

He pulled Yugi closer desperately, afraid that if he would slack off the boy would make a run for it while having the chance. There was no reason for him to stick around anymore, he could've easily taken off while Yami had been caught up in his memories, too busy with freaking out. But the boy had stayed, and Yami had never known someone like that. He had stayed after being kidnapped and locked up in a room for two weeks without any contact or access to anything.

Yugi pulled Yami to his feet, and it almost felt a tad bit aggressive, but Yami complied nonetheless. As soon as he stood, Yugi kissed him once more to explore further down his mouth, taste more of him and play with his tongue while Yami moaned into the playful kisses. Deciding that he had grown tired of the teasing, he pushed Yugi back against the car and frantically opened the door to the backseat, pushing Yugi down on the cushions. He crawled on top of him, hastily beginning to unbuckle the younger one while Yugi did the same with the other's pants. While pulling down Yugi's pants and tossing them aside, Yami made only half work of his own and just pulled them down to his knees so that they could continue without losing too much time. It was obvious that they were both fired up and couldn't wait any longer. They both panted heavily while looking at each other with burning eyes, hungry, desperate, resolute.

"A-Aaah," Yugi gasped as he suddenly felt something enter him, tossing back his head in approval before Yami bit down his colourbone and left marks on it. Their moaning steadied as soon as Yami was completely inside, starting a quick and careless rhythm of pounding that earned more pleasant sounds from the bottom. Yugi smiled wildly while enjoying these feelings of longing and need, a small chuckle escaping his lips and gasping every time Yami plunged back inside. He was extremely sensitive and for the life of him couldn't figure out why since they had only had sex yesterday or so, but damn he needed this as much as Yami.

Yami felt his eyes roll back in his head from the pleasure. He had come pretty quickly last time and was determined to cope a bit longer this time, but he was finding it extremely hard. Their fucking was mad and almost animal-like because of the urging necessity dominating it, and the pace didn't help it either. He was in a state of delirium as it was already now, cursing hard while releasing every piece of frustration and desire into their love-making, hungrily reaching forth to draw his captive into another lingering kiss with tongue and nibbling.

"Just, a bit deeper, like this," Yugi panted and held Yami by his hips, guiding him to something that Yami couldn't understand. He pushed forward again but this time slower to go along with Yugi's pleas, suddenly earning a very loud yelp from the younger one with a face of bliss. Yami looked bewildered at him, afraid that he might've hurt him, but Yugi urged him to continue like he had done just now. He pushed again, and Yugi made the squealing sound again, unbeknown of what he exactly did to him but deciding that he liked the noises anyway.

"That's it!" Yugi cried when Yami began thrusting at a frantic pace again at that spot just like he had requested. He couldn't help but moan every time his prostrate was being hit while keeping down his own laugh from Yami's somewhat confused face. The man obviously had no idea what he was doing but went along with it anyway. "Ooh, Yami. Don't stop, please don't stop!"

If it wasn't for Yugi's loud yelling, Yami wouldn't have come so quickly, but the pleads and whining got the better of him nonetheless. Before he even knew it, he felt a burning sensation course through his veins that rushed together at his groin and exploded like mad down there. He groaned in his release, thrusting in like crazy while cursing and yelling, wanting to make use of the opportunity before it would be over again. With that, Yugi screamed out while coming as well and spurted out his seamen over his own chest, his insides clenching together that fit even tighter around Yami's length. He groaned while slowing down his pace, feeling the contractions of Yugi's muscles keeping him inside. Just a few more slow pounds that earned some more noises of an after-climax before he came to a complete halt, panting hard in Yugi's neck and dropping his weight on the other. Yugi welcomed it with a hug, wrapping his arms around him and trying to get himself together as well.

They realized only later the position they were in, lying on the backseat while their feet still stuck out of the car, in the middle of an abandoned road but public nonetheless. As if they could read each other's thoughts, Yami began gathering himself and pushed himself up, pulling up his pants before crawling out of the car so that Yugi could get dressed as well. He found it disappointing that the older man wouldn't speak nor look at him while doing so, but it seemed Yami was too caught up looking at the sunset. While watching the scene, Yugi could only stare in awe as he stood with his back to him, enjoying the view of the warmly-coloured sun slowly sinking behind the horizon, and Yugi could only think how they matched his tanned skin so perfectly. If anything, this man belonged in a place where the sun would come up every day and kiss his skin to make it even tanner, but he knew that would never happen. It saddened him to see how quiet Yami looked while staring at it without even a sigh.

"We should move," Yugi whispered. He stood behind Yami now, wondering if he should reach for him but, as of today, Yami was still an instable predicament for him. He honestly didn't know what Yami was thinking right now, or if he needed comfort at all.

Yami rustled before turning around, glaring back deeply in Yugi's eyes. In that moment, Yugi could read multiple emotions surfacing forth, such as pain, sorrow, guilt and fear. But if he looked closer their was an embracing emotion of protection as well, and Yugi wasn't sure but he felt like it was toward him. His captor walked forward until their toes almost connected and stared down at the younger one, not saying anything, but Yugi felt... safe. And secure. Yet he didn't know why. There was a look in his eyes that he once again couldn't interpret at all, but it didn't shy him away. No, instead it drew him closer.

Albeit, Yugi's eyes widened when he suddenly felt soft lips on his forehead in the form of a gentle kiss. The kiss lasted only a second and as soon as it was over, his captor let go and walked to the car, leaving Yugi completely in stupor at the act. It was only after the honking of the car that he shrieked out of his thoughts and ran to the car, getting in.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: a chance meeting**

Yugi couldn't tell how long they've been driving, but they weren't out of China yet. At least they didn't cross a sign that said so nor border-control. The car-ride had been exceptionally silent, but it somehow also felt different. Yugi wasn't sure if the word more 'relaxed' was the right way to describe it, but he was certain a lot negativity had evaporated in the air after their quicky. If anything, it had at least settled some more resolutions on Yugi's behalf, because he hadn't complained about going back once. Then again, if that was a good thing or a bad was still open for argument.

Yami had offered him something to drink as well as a few snacks to have a quick bite, but Yugi wasn't really hungry. Inside, a storm was raging in his mind and he didn't know how to subdue it. He was certain that his doubt and fear was from his own lack of contradictory, seeing as he had slowly began giving up of ever returning to Japan. And that was exactly what bothered him, when had he decided to go along with any of this?

It was night by now, and while Yugi was slowly losing conscience every minute or so, he felt how the car was suddenly pulled over. As he looked up to meet Yami's gaze, there wasn't much to tell him where they were heading. All he could see was that Yami knew where he was going and that this was also part of the plan. It was after a fifteen minutes of driving that they seemed to approach a nearby caravan with beside it a car, and it looked like someone was sitting inside. Yami halted the car and parked a few meters away before unbuckling himself. Yugi imitated his actions and opened the door as well, being thankful that he could finally stretch his legs after such a long time of driving, and he hadn't even been in the driver's seat!

"Can I come?" Yugi asked while Yami walked away from the car. He looked back briefly only to continue his stroll so Yugi followed him, figuring he was allowed to. As they approached the car, Yami knocked on it and the passenger opened the door, two people stepping out and Yugi gulped audibly.

"Sure took you long enough, snowflake," Bakura smirked. At the other seat, Ryou crawled out and smiled wildly while looking at Yugi. Bakura noticed this and joined the staring as well, though it was a bit more unsettling. "What's he doing here?"

Nothing came from Yami's lips as he moved toward the caravan, solely now focussed on the quest that brought them here, much to Bakura's disapproval. A low growl was heard from the said man but everyone seemed to ignore it, and Ryou just smiled at Yugi and gave him a knick with his elbow. Like a group of salesmen, they stood in front of the door when a man, Yugi guessed not much older than twenty, opened the door with red eyes and a disgruntled look on his face (obviously from drugs).

"Ya?" he asked. This made Yugi confused, as if the man was used to a group of people on the run knocking on his door in the middle of the night.

"We're here for the paint job, numskull," Bakura spat after pushing Yami aside, since he wasn't going to do the talking any soon.

Yami asked Yugi to wait outside on a chair that stood next to the caravan, by the means of pointing at it before he walked away with Bakura and the stranger to the car. He and Ryou had to wait while some other guys picked up their gear and began plastering the windows and wheels from the car. One of them screwed off the numberplate and carried it to the nearby garage while the rest occupied themselves otherwise. Yugi watched numbly as they took out paint-sprayers and started painting the car black instead of its previous gray colour, not keen on starting a conversation with his company, but Ryou seemed to think otherwise.

"I'm glad you're here," Ryou spoke while they both continued watching the transformation performed on the car. The men obviously seemed professionals that had executed it several times before. Yugi said nothing, his mind still wasn't used to the idea that he had chosen to come along despite the many arguments in his head, and to be fair he already had begun regretting again. From a corner, he saw how Yami seemed to deal with their dealer with his usual withdrawn face, and Yugi cringed.

"He seems to have grown attached to you," Ryou spoke and that seemed to draw Yugi's attention. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Ryou continued, "from the little time I have spent with him, I can see how protective he is in your presence. You may not notice," Ryou turned his head to face Yugi, "but he's watching you carefully, even as we speak."

At that, Yugi looked back at his captor and noticed the short glimpse of a stare reaching to him. Irritated, he looked away with a pout and crossed him arms, not fond of the babysitting treatment. "Why are you here anyway? It doesn't look like Bakura kidnapped you or anything, at least you have a choice," Yugi spat back.

Ryou was amused by Yugi's reaction and laughed wholeheartedly. "That, is true, I guess. However, I have decided a long time ago that I would disappear with him."

"But why?" Yugi asked, and as hard as he might try he simply couldn't understand. In different circumstances, he was certain he might've been friends with Ryou if faith had wished them otherwise. He was way too kind to hang out with a guy like Bakura. It didn't make sense at all!

"Because," Ryou smiled as if he remembered how much he dearly loved that man, even if he was a murderer, "he gave me what I wanted. And he made me happy."

Yugi couldn't understand a word of the riddles Ryou spoke, but he did notice the glistening admiration in those eyes while he watched Bakura so lovingly. If anything, this man meant a lot to him, but it didn't make it any more comprehensible on Yugi's behalf.

It took a good half hour for the man to finish the car, and Bakura handed him a large amount of money once done. As soon as everything was wrapped up, no one said goodbyes while Yugi and Ryou were told to get in the backseat. They both listened without much complaining. Bakura went to sit in the driver's seat and started the car while Yami pointed where they were headed next.

It was only after several more hours of driving, during which Yami and Bakura had switched the driving as well and Yugi was now sitting next to his captor while he was steering, that Yugi finally dared to pick up a conversation. He had been awfully quiet even with all the circumstances and hadn't asked any questions up till now, and it seemed Bakura and Ryou had fallen asleep in each other's arms on the backseat.

"I-I know you can't tell me everything," Yugi spoke and Yami glanced sideways, which made Yugi happy. At least he acknowledged his words. "but I just, I mean, if I do come with you," he said, somewhat swallowing his tongue upon saying these words, "can I at least call my grandpa? And let him know I'm alright? That's all I'm asking."

He peaked a glance at the Egyptian and Yami seemed to sigh deeply, having expected the request but nonetheless not excited about it. It was quiet for a good other minutes.

"Please," he asked, trying to make eye-contact with the murderer, but Yami was clever enough not to return it. A good thing at that, because Yugi had the largest puppy-eyes one had ever beheld.

He nodded sternly and Yugi smiled lightly, settling in his seat for the upcoming hours of travel. He didn't know when he was going to call his grandpa, but knowing he would be able to was enough. Yami didn't seem like the type to lie for his own interest, so Yugi believed him. It gave him hope knowing that he was going to talk to his grandfather soon.

* * *

What he hadn't expected was to be this nervous. His hands were literally shaking while trying to press down the numbers on the pay-phone and he innerly cursed. To top it off, Yami and Bakura had had a massive argument about this particular call, Yugi never having heard so many words out of his captor since they had met. They had been fighting for an entire hour in the car before Ryou had intervened and told Bakura that he exaggerated. Yugi was going to call his grandfather regardless, and Bakura would have to cope with it. It seemed the white-haired Egyptian still didn't trust him.

Yugi felt a hand resting on his shoulder and he turned his head to see it was Yami, squeezing it lightly in reassurance. There wasn't a smile settled on his face but it was enough comfort for Yugi to gather his guts and finally make that phone call. He sighed deeply before pushing in all the buttons and than waited, once, twice, and someone picked up.

"_Hello, Mr. Mutou speaking."_

Yugi held back tears upon hearing his grandfather's voice, and he found himself in complete lock-down at the amenity of speech, almost forgetting that he had to answer.

"Grandpa," Yugi started, almost like a whisper, not daring to speak any louder, "it's me."

"_Y-Yugi? Oh Yugi, is it really you? How are you? Are you doing alright? Please tell me you're fine, please,"_

Yugi instantly broke his barrier upon hearing his grandfather's distressed calls. He knew the old man was crying behind the phone as soon as he had realized it was his grandchild speaking, and Yugi suddenly felt really guilty for having come along so obediently. In a way, it almost felt like he had chosen Yami over his grandfather, and that realization struck him like lightning.

"I'm fine, grandpa, okay? Don't worry, he's not hurting me, and I get food and a bed, and - " this was getting too much. Not that he was lying, but it felt pretty much the same. How could he hush his grandfather like it was nothing, while on the inside both of them were dying. He looked over at Yami and the man pointed at his wrist, and even if he didn't wear a watch Yugi got the message. Biting away through tears, he only heard the next questions his grandfather asked half before cutting the call short. He asked questions such as who had kidnapped him and where he was, but those questions were impossible for Yugi to answer anyway.

"I-I can't tell you grandpa, I'm sorry. I promise you, I'll be fine. I have to go now, okay? B-bye, I love you, okay? I love you." He managed to blurt out before slamming the phone on the receiver. Immediately, he broke down into tears but he felt someone catch him and was uttered into soothing by the soft touches of his captor holding him up. Yugi inhaled deeply to remind himself it were Yami's arms he was locked into and took comfort in that knowledge, trying to shut out everything else around them. He felt weak, incredibly weak and distressed, and he really needed the comfort now that Yami so willingly offered him. It was strange to think how attached they had grown to each other in those two days of driving through highways and deserted land, but it was also true their relationship had lifted to higher spirits.

"We need to keep moving," Bakura interrupted the touching moment without bother, and Yugi knew they had to follow soon or Bakura would just leave without them. Another sob escaped before he withdrew himself from Yami's embrace and nodded that he was fine. He was going to be fine, at least he knew his grandpa was still breathing.

* * *

Yugi sang along with a song that had been popular back when he was a child. He had loved this band for as long as he could remember and appreciated that for once he was at least granted something positive while dying away in his car seat in utter boredom. To be honest he hadn't defeated his grief yet ever since having called his grandfather and it was the first time in those two days that he was smiling while singing along the familiar words of the lyrics. On the backseat once more, Ryou and Bakura were sleeping in a funny entangled form, one foot in Bakura's face while the man was drooling on it.

Yami looked at his captive, noticing the steady muse on Yugi's face and his heart swelled lightly. The gentleness of it appealed to him and the slightest smirk was drawn on his face as well. He recognized the lyrics of the song Yugi was so silently singing along to avoid waking their company at the back, tapping along on the steering wheel.

Yugi's head jerked sideways as he heard the drumming of the fingers matching the music on the radio. A bit surprised he looked up to see a pleased grin settled on Yami's face and Yugi's eyes lid up. He smiled wildly and turned his eyes back to the road again, before he decided to continue his singing just a bit louder. In the background, he heard only the hushed mumbling of Yami's voice that was trying to reproduce the lyrics as well, making Yugi beam. He was getting excited and started singing louder, and still shier than him but nonetheless singing, Yami followed his increase in volume. They both laughed at each other, once in a while stealing a glance at the other's vibrant eyes, singing louder albeit together, happily. Yugi looked Yami closely in the eyes and leaned forward.

"Will you both shut it! Some of us are trying to sleep," Bakura grunted in annoyance before rolling over so that he wouldn't have to hear any more of it. Yugi and Yami looked at each other and chuckled. They both sighed with a content smile on their face as Yami kept driving.

* * *

Yugi looked at his side tentatively as he saw Ryou's frantic rustling. His eyes had turned wide and by the look of things, he couldn't seem to sit still. His behaviour was actually quite unsettling to watch, as he looked so panicked and almost in pain, but Yugi didn't know why. They had been driving for only two hours straight now after the last pit stop, and he had been sharing the backseat with Ryou because Bakura would have to puzzle his way around the map since he was the only one who knew where to go while Yami would be driving.

Ryou panted turbulently, looking around like a scared animal while he clutched his hands several times around his arms. Yugi watched him worriedly, wondering if he had taken any type of drugs and was now tripping. "Are you okay?" Yugi asked carefully, Ryou's eyes immediately shooting to his form upon hearing him speak.

"I'm fine," he answered, but it was curt and almost rude. If Yugi didn't know any better, he would almost consider it offensive. With a quirked eyebrow, he looked at the white-haired guy who continued his numerous trampling and flinching.

"You're exaggerating, Ryou. Stop being so dramatic," Bakura spoke with his nose still on the map, not even looking at his friend. Yugi figured this kind of behaviour had happened before on Ryou's behalf, so it didn't surprise nor worry Bakura anymore. Still, it didn't change how uncomfortable Yugi felt about the situation.

In the next half hour that followed, Ryou had tossed a blanket over his head to earn some privacy, but the frenzies still seemed to carry forward as Yugi noticed the rustling and small cries from under the blanket. It bothered him how Bakura didn't seem to care enough about the situation, so he decided to take it upon himself instead, seeing as the two elder men were busy arguing over a map.

"Hey," Yugi whispered, and Ryou startled a bit at the sudden address, so Yugi knew he was listening. "Are you sure you're alright? Do you need something? Are you feeling sick?"

Yugi beamed his most endearing smile to earn Ryou's trust, even if he couldn't see it from under the blanket, just hoping that any type of sympathy would break the barrier between them. It had always been in Yugi's nature to help, so much that he would put others before his own need, and it hadn't always been very helpful but it had at least earned him great friendship and respect. Maybe he could establish that between him and Ryou too.

Suddenly, Yugi felt his hand being yanked away and tugged under the blanket, feeling his finger being nudged around something extremely hot and sweaty. He panicked with a twitch in his eye and screamed, pulling back his own hand that Ryou was so persistently keeping in place. The car suddenly slipped, and Yugi could hear Bakura cursing while Yami tried to steady the car before they would have an accident. As the car came to a sturdy halt, Yugi managed to withdraw his hand and crawled as far away from the albino as possible, his eyes trembling from the unsuspected disturbance.

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Bakura yelled furiously and hurried out of the car. He ran over to the door where Ryou was sitting and opened it, pulling the blanket off of him and slapping his own forehead mentally as he busted Ryou with his pants on his knees, his own hand firmly wrapped around his erection, sperm leaking everywhere, evidence that he had been occupied for a long time already.

"Get your freak boyfriend away from him!" Yami yelled furiously as he had turned around in his seat to mingle in the display as well, realizing Ryou had pretty much violated his captive for the sake of masturbation.

"Shut up! Bakura yelled back, picking up his boyfriend bridal-style after having pulled up his pants. "Get the fuck out!" he continued, and Yugi only understood what was being asked of him after a few seconds when he felt the cold glare of the serial-killer on him, shooting daggers at him. Flabbergasted, he hurriedly opened the car and almost stumbled outside, hearing only half of the argue Yami was having with Bakura while Ryou stood by shaken, obviously overwhelmed about what had happened.

"If your fucking boyfriend doesn't keep his hands to himself I'll –"

"You're not touching him unless you kill me first, snowflake! Get that in your head!"

Enraged, Yami turned away, annoyed by the trembling and crying on Ryou's behalf. "Fine," he spat, "just, do something about it."

Yugi had been sitting on the ground, a few metres away from the car, itching to forget about everything that he had seen. It didn't add up to anything. Ryou seemed so sweet and gentle, why had he done that? He couldn't think straight now. His eyes were still pried open with deflated pupils while he rocked himself gently, trying to sooth himself like a child. It was what he used to do when he was still in high school and bullies would surround him in the lavatories. Before they beat him to pulp and stole his money and cellphone.

Next to him, he heard Yami sit down but didn't look up. It was only after the murderer placed a soft hand on his shoulder that he finally earned a look at those amethyst eyes. Yami's expression didn't say much but at least he tried consoling Yugi somewhat, and Yugi appreciated the effort. He had appreciated everything Yami had done for him these past days. Perhaps he hadn't said much to him, but he had been kind, had tried to make Yugi feel at ease, had held him while they had shared a few hours of sleep on the backseat, had even bought him sweets and chocolate at a gas station after finding out Yugi liked those. Love was in the little things, right? But was this love?

They both snapped their heads back when hearing loud cries coming from the car. The car was rocking like a rowing boat while it was so obvious Bakura was 'taking care' of the problem that had surfaced in the only way he knew possible. So Ryou had been nagging and complaining just because he had needed to get laid? Was that why Bakura had been ignoring it so long? How many times did this happen? They had been driving for only six days now, as if he couldn't go a week without sex!

Irked, Yugi jerked back his head. Ryou's behaviour disgusted him massively, and to be honest he was extremely mad for having pulled that trick on him. He wasn't a toy, and he certainly wasn't an object to help you masturbate whenever you wanted. He didn't even know the man! Who would do such a thing?!

"He can't help it," Yami spoke, and Yugi glanced side-ways. Yami had been speaking more often these days, not a lot, but just a bit more. Yet each time he chose to, it always seemed to catch Yugi off-guard, as if he was still adjusting to a now talking Yami. Sure, he was very talkative when arguing with Bakura, but that was different.

"I don't understand," Yugi admitted, "what's wrong with him?"

"Hypersexual disorder," Yami stated coolly before watching his own feet settling in the sand. He didn't know much of the condition himself either, just that Ryou had it. To be honest, it had surprised him he had held out for so long. He didn't know much of the kid, but in those two months that Bakura and Yami had been on the run before they had been caught red-handed and send to prison, he had spent a long time with both of them and, even if they had to share a room or had to sleep on the street, they had sex pretty much every night. It was partially the reason why they had met, or rather why Ryou had been Bakura's only survivor after being raped and tortured for three days at a stretch. But that was a different story, and a complicated one at that.

"So, he's addicted to sex?" Yugi stated casually like it was the most normal thing to say. While Yami nodded halfheartedly, Yugi could only sigh deeply upon realizing he was driving around Asia with the worst case scenario of people he could've hoped for.

* * *

Yami's chest was awfully comfortable to fall asleep on, and it hadn't been the first time Yugi had closed his eyes while sleeping in the man's arms. Usually, it was a couple sharing the backseat when switching seats, so that Bakura and Ryou could catch some sleep while Yami was driving with Yugi next to him, or the other way around. Only on brief occurrences Yugi and Ryou would sit in the backseat so that the other two could map out the remain of their voyage, but ever since the incident with Ryou it was clear Yugi wasn't comfortable sitting next to the albino anymore. So it was avoided as much as possible. Of course Ryuo had apologized, and Yugi could tell his words were sincere, but he had just find it awkward and unsettling seeing as it could happen a second time as well. Everyone was cringy and frustrated from the long travelling and the requirement of intimate privacy was reaching new heights for everyone.

But when Yugi did fall asleep in the car, which was almost fundamental if they wanted to keep on travelling without any interference, he always slept like a rose. Yami would lean against the door with his back, his legs on the couches while Yugi would nestle himself in his lap and eventually fall asleep on top of him. This time was no exception, and Yugi had unconsciously tangled his legs around one of Yami's like he would do with his covers in bed. Yami could only smile timidly while watching him, seemingly serene and at peace with himself, away from the surfacing troubles for the time being. It was odd to think like that about someone, but Yami had long since given up on repressing these feelings.

"Hmmm," Yugi moaned in his sleep and held on tighter to Yami's leg. He had been sleeping very soundly but he would usually wake up when feeling Yami was awake as well, or at least not resting anymore. Yami never really slept. He would close his eyes and compose himself for a few hours, but his conscience never drifted further than that. Yugi knew that by now.

One violet eye peeked open hesitantly, the bright light of the morning sun being an awful nuisance to his dismay. He heard the soft chuckle of his captor who was watching the innocent display and his heart warmed up almost immediately. If there was one thing he had learned from these three weeks of travelling it was that, for the short-spanned laughs that Yami did share, he absolutely adored them. Yami was extremely handsome when smiling and it bothered Yugi that he didn't do it more often, but they took babysteps for now. The fact that he at least dared speaking a few words each day and looked at Yugi was already a big improvement to their very odd relationship.

Yugi released his grip on Yami's leg and instead wrapped his arms around the older man's waist, his face neatly pressed in his stomach. The heat of Yugi's breathing brushing against Yami's stomach made him shiver lightly while he ruffled the smaller one's hair. He noticed the instant reaction of Yugi's softening muscles once he began massaging his scalp and the view made him smile again. Yugi was a simple man to please, seeing as he enjoyed the smallest things in life.

It was only after Yami shifted his legs a bit that both apprehended it. Yugi's eyes immediately shut open as wide as they could, a look of absolute horror on his face as he felt his own erection scrubbing against Yami's leg, shamelessly priding up and about. Shit shit shit! He must have a morning erection, he had that sometimes when waking up, but it had been quite a while now! This was embarrassing!

Of course, Yami realized all too well the flashlight rubbing up against his leg. He tried ignoring it but found it very tempting to provoke as well. Purely experimental, he nudged his leg a bit further to excerpt a reaction from his captive and heard a very silent eep coming from him. Yami chuckled at the sound and ruffled his hair playfully, the laughing making his body shake and only add further to Yugi's already rock-heard erection. This was not helping!

Trying to roll away, Yugi established balance on his knees to move himself into a sitting position, but before he was even given the chance Yami launched forward and pulled Yugi toward him, holding him close in his arms, the erection now virtually poking in Yami's stomach and making Yugi turn even redder. He blushed furiously before he tried to push himself away, getting some space between them but only managed to keep Yami at arms length, staring each other hard in the eyes.

Yugi was pretty when blushing, at least, that was what Yami thought. The flushed look on his face made him appear so innocent. There was a long, lingering stare of shared emotions between them and Yugi found himself unable to pull away from those bloodshed eyes, shining like diamonds. Oh, how he wished they were alone right now, because he felt Yami's upcoming erection now softly brush against Yugi's behind, and it was driving him insane!

Without any shared word, Yami leaned sideways and picked up the black cloth they saved there, starting to tie the ends around the hand grips of the car. It was an idea Bakura had come up with when Ryou was afflicted again, and now they used it every time one of them wanted some privacy. At least this way the backseat was hidden from the front seats. It was the first time Yami and Yugi would use it however, the thought just hadn't really occurred before, or rather the need.

"Whoa, snowflake's going for it!" Bakura laughed while Yami glared at him before punching him on his shoulder. He could see how Bakura was laughing with it before he tied the other end of the cloth and the curtain was now hanging between them.

"Shall I turn up the music, lovebirds? So that we don't have to listen to –"

"Fuck off," Yami spat back to Bakura, thoroughly annoyed by the interference of their moment, but also glad his friend had indeed turned up the music. Yugi appreciated the gesture, but he was still madly blushing and stiff as a board. Obviously, he wasn't relaxed.

"This is awkward," Yugi whispered in Yami's ear. He was sitting on Yami's lap now, in the middle of the backseat, and didn't want Bakura to hear any of this, even if the music was blaringly loud and they would be able to speak freely without the other couple understanding any of it. Nonetheless, it wasn't enough to make Yugi go all the way! Yami lifted the boy's chin to look him close in the eyes, his crimson orbs asking Yugi to trust him. Reluctant, but willing to give it a try, Yugi nodded with a grimace on his face before he felt his captor lean closer in on him but never giving him a kiss. By now, Yugi had closed his eyes and was waiting for his lover's lips to catch his, but never received them. The frown on his face made Yami grin before he decided to lift the boy's shirt instead.

Yugi shivered uncontrollably when he suddenly felt cold hands reaching under his shirt. All too sudden Yami's fingers brushed their ways up and slid sensually over Yugi's side, and the feeling was exhilarating. The palms of his hands followed behind with an equal amount of eroticism that made Yugi's legs tremble. Luckily, he was sitting above Yami, because he was certain his legs would give in if he had been standing.

At the height of his chest, Yami's hands halted before his thumbs slid tactfully on Yugi's nipples. Before Yugi could make an embarrassing yelp, he snapped his teeth shut with eyes closed tightly, biting away every sound and moan he was holding back. They grew hard in only seconds, but because of Yugi's closed eyes he could not see the wonder in Yami's when watching the nubs in fascination. He seemed to be experimenting with them, testing how far he could go with it, and alternating between slow and quick circles that drove Yugi on edge. Leaning forward in the curve of Yami's neck, he nestled his mouth so he could muffle his own cries.

The sensation was put on hold for a moment and finally, Yugi dared to open his eyes carefully, wondering what the Egyptian was up to. He couldn't see much of it however, and only after a few seconds his thumbs were placed back on his nipples but this time they were wet, and the rubbing now felt smoother and slippier. Yami must've licked his fingers when Yugi had been trying to recuperate from the assault. Yet he was overwhelmed again by various emotions and vibes that made it harder and harder for him to restrain his cries of pleasure.

Meanwhile, it seemed like Yami had made a good effort of making the boy above him forget that they were still in company, because he was certain the boy had begun mewling by now. Hot breaths escaped those pink lips and were plastered on Yami's skin before it turned into condensation that started dripping down his back. It was captivating to say the least how quickly he could turn Yugi on by only touching his chest, but then again they both were probably very sensitive after not having sex for three weeks. There had been moments before where tension had passed by suffocatingly around them, but they were both good at hiding them. Now however, with a silly solution such as a blanket so easily provided for them, to give them more privacy in these few minutes then in the past three weeks altogether, they simply couldn't suppress the need anymore. Yami felt like his erection was bursting out of his trousers.

"A-aah," ever so lightly whispered, Yugi held on tight to his lover while his hands dug in the older man's hair, absorbing every stroke and tease that pestered further his arousal. He was extremely sensitive and was sure he could come just by this if it would've lasted any longer. So perhaps he was happy when Yami retreated his hands and slid back down to firmly wrap his hands around his ass, on the other hands he was dying to release as quickly as possible.

Tilting himself up a bit higher to give Yami better access to his cheeks, he loved how Yami dug his nails in the fabric of his pants. He teased his entrance through the fabric and slipped his hands forth to also let them slide across Yugi's erection, and that earned a surprisingly loud cry on his behalf. Yami's eyes widened slightly at the sudden outburst, his guard instantly up to prepare himself for another inappropriate remark from Bakura, but remarkably enough it never came. So instead he focused on his captive again and stroke him through the fabric of his pants, itching very tightly around his arousal and in desperate need of freedom.

Kissing Yugi's neck, chin and cheekbones, anything Yami could find, he continued making work of distracting his little one through pleasuring touches. He began fumbling at the buckle of his pants and made quick work of opening it. He spanked the boy's legs and Yugi pushed himself up a bit so Yami could tug down his pants. They slid easily over his legs and Yami even managed to take them off completely so that it wouldn't bother them at a further stage. For a few seconds, he got himself distracted watching Yugi panting hard while he leaned back, his rock-hard erection proudly pointing forward as if ready to charge at any given moment.

Yami was certain now that he wouldn't hold back. While one hand travelled north to wrap it securely around the manhood, the other travelled to Yugi's mouth and pushed its fingers inside. Now that Yugi was slightly leaning back on Yami's lap, Yami had the privilege of watching Yugi in all his glory enjoying himself by his hands. Saliva leaked from the side of his lips while sucking on Yami's finger diligently, pretending he was sucking him off and putting at least as much work in it. In his other hand, he pumped Yugi's leaking cock slow but hard, before he released it and played with his balls, gently squeezing them, rolling them in his hands, and then returning to the source of his excitement again. It was highly erotic to watch, and Yami was feeling how tight and uncomfortable his own dick was struggling in his pants, but he wanted to enjoy the look on Yugi's face a little longer, with those half-lidded eyes and mouth slightly open, tongue swirling around before sucking on those fingers again, hips slightly buckling to imply for more, to go faster, to grab him harder, he wanted to come so bad. He'd come soon, he was already on the verge of exploding a load saved for three weeks worth.

And if Yugi thought his head wasn't spinning enough, he absolutely lost it when Yami's still wet fingers prodded at his entrance, nudging it and asking the owner for entrance. Yugi cried hard, moans and pleas rolling through his lips while his eyes rolled back in his head. Just the mere touch of Yami's fingers there would make him come for sure! And he hadn't even pushed them in yet!

His hand still pumping his members and his fingers now pushing through the warm cavern of Yugi's crack, Yugi couldn't hold it anymore. Yami's fingers weren't even properly in yet but he came with such force that he cried out his lungs. His seamen flew over Yami's shirt and hips like a garden hose and he moaned erotically while enjoying his after-climax, secretly blessing Yami that he continued jerking him off till the end while his fingers still pushed in deeper. God, he couldn't get enough of this! Screw anyone who could hear them!

"A-aaargh, f-fuck," Yugi cried miserably. He fell forward in Yami's neck again and held on tight, allowing Yami's fingers to enter him deeper and this earned him another cry. Yami felt the enclosure of the flesh sticking around his fingers while he thrust them in and out at a steady pace, scissoring them just like he had seen Yugi do to himself the last time. He didn't really know if he was doing it well, but by the trembling of Yugi's figure he guessed it should be good enough.

In a frenzy, Yugi began making quick work of Yami's own pants this time and seemed very desperate to jerk them off. Pulling hard, Yami's erection sprung out in full glory and almost made Yugi drool over it, constantly reminding him that he had all the luck in the world being so fortunate with a partner this well-built. His cock was dripping and throbbing, beet-red and ready for much-wanted action. Yugi almost forget where he was when having been so busy staring at the large arousal again, but a pull on Yami's behalf shook him awake. He tugged at Yugi's thighs, spreading them further apart and urging them closer so that he could sit on top of him. Grabbing his own erection, suppressing a hiss when he felt how sensitive the flesh was, Yami pointed it upward and guided Yugi to lower down on him. Yugi slid himself down, feeling the head of the enormous arousal poking gently at his entrance. Luckily, he was well-prepared and wet enough to let it slip in easily, and almost like he would sit down on a charge, the entire length was shed inside. Yami's head snapped back while he slammed it hard against the head of the backseat, not having expected that to go so easily but not complaining either. He was being absorbed and sucked in. Without warning Yugi lifted his hips and rode him like an animal in high-season. He was obviously not tired from his first ejaculation yet.

Yugi buckled his hips like a mad-man, lost in pleasure and sensation while he repeatedly felt Yami's dick slipping in and out of his ass again. The older man grabbed his ass cheeks and spread them further apart so that he could go even deeper, earning louder cries from the boy above him. Every time Yugi slammed back down, Yami groaned deeply and moaned out in pleasure, not caring how loud they were and certain the car was rocking by now. He shut his eyes closed to experience every jolt of pleasure in his arousal when penetrating Yugi over and over again. He especially loved how Yugi would once in a while push himself real hard down so that he was completely sucked in, his ass almost touching his balls. A few more of those thrusts and he was certain to come at any given moment.

"Haa-haaah, Yami, I think – I think I'm gonna -" before Yugi could finish, Yami grabbed him tighter and pushed their bodies close together, establishing more friction throughout their body. He felt Yugi's muscles tightening around him and grabbed him securely by his shoulder, pushing him down with such force that Yugi screamed every time in those last thrusts before he heard Yami cry along with him. There was a hot sensation filling him from the inside which turned him over the edge and Yugi cried out as he came again, taking over from Yami's thrusting due to the man's exhaustion and riding out his climax. The seamen was dripping down the rim and leaking on the cushions but Yugi was too caught up in the pleasure to honestly care. A little more and he was certain he could see stars.

They were both a panting mess, exhausted at that, but Yami took the liberty of stroking Yugi's sides lovingly before nuzzling his nose in the boy's hair. Their chests were heaving up and down rapidly while still recovering from their much-needed love-making. Yugi couldn't remember the last time had had sex this wonderful with any previous partner, and it was in a car!

"Good show," they heard Bakura laugh after having turned down the music, earning a scowl from Ryou who slapped his across the back of his head. The words seemed to remind both of them where they were again, something they had forgotten along their love-making. Yugi's face turned a bright red again before he clumsily crawled off of Yami's member and swung himself at the side seat of the car. How bothersome that they didn't even have a towel right now.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: hot and bothered**

"Ladies and gentleman, we have arrived at our fucking destination, at finally fucking last!" Bakura laughed hysterically while pulling over the car, and his excessive lunacy was creeping Yugi out. He had been sitting in the backseat with Ryou for at least ten hours already, trying to conjure up some casual chatting and ignoring the fact that he had forcibly assaulted his hand, but it was getting harder for Ryou to keep it together. His breathing was shallow and he seemed like he was in pain, or at least highly susceptible by his surroundings. He couldn't even laugh or smile at the joke Bakura cracked. His fingers were piercing at his flesh on his arms and the skin was turning red and irritated. When Yugi noticed it, he would usually tug at the albino's arms to make him stop the auto-mutilation, but when he wasn't looking Ryou would continue. It seemed like his addiction really got the better of him, because Ryou was showing signs of detoxing rather than going without sex for a week now.

A month, that's how long it had taken them to drive from Shanghai to Europe. Yugi didn't know where, but they had passed a sign a few days ago welcoming them in Russia. It was awfully cold as well but it seemed they had gotten closer up south-west, as Yugi had noticed they had passed St. Petersburg. At least he had the slightest idea of where they were heading. To think that he had once dreamt about visiting Europe, he certainly hadn't expected for it to happen in these conditions.

It was another half hour of driving, but it was nothing compared to the past month, so the minutes flew by while everyone awaited their destination in eagerness. Everyone was tired and agitated, especially the two drivers, and they couldn't wait to get out of the car and finally be able to stretch their legs for longer than a few hours. They had stayed only at two motels while travelling as it was just to catch some much-needed sleep, so a long stay in this neighbourhood would be fine. Aside from the cold, Russia looked beautiful. It was a gorgeous, wide-spread icy landscape with hills and mountains, and they were getting to the more civilized part of the country once again. There were plenty of small, rural villages where people were walking around dressed warmly with furry coats and hats. Yugi didn't know why, but he liked the coziness of these traditional villages and its people, so he beamed while watching them pass by in fascination with a big smile on his face. Yami couldn't suppress the smirk on his face when seeing how excited Yugi was for finally seeing anything close to civilization in such a long time of travelling.

It was on top of a small hill where Bakura pulled up, that they embarked on a traditional cottage-like hotel. It appeared to be a family hotel, not anything luxurious but well-provided to entertain its customers, and enough to rest well after their exceptionally long drive down here. Yugi watched in awe before he turned his head and saw the albino crawled together, slightly trembling. Yugi couldn't help but feel bad for him even after the trick he had pulled on him last time. They had gotten closer together over the days and Ryou was actually very sweet and nice to talk to, at least when he wasn't short on sex, and dare Yugi say that he almost called him his friend.

"Are you okay?" Yugi asked gently when the car pulled over in one of the parking lots outside the venue. He carefully placed his hand on Ryou's shoulder and lightly shook him.

"I'm fine," Ryou responded, although it wasn't very coherent with his facial expression. Yugi's smile faltered but he took the leisure of opening the door for him. "You'll feel better after you get out of the car."

Yugi couldn't help but smile as he noticed the motivation with which Bakura jumped out of the car, practically kissing the cold ground below his feet as he was finally free of his driving-duties. With equal enthusiasm but slightly less exaggerating, Yami walked himself out as well and looked at his lover helping Ryou getting out of the car. Again, he was caring for someone instead of himself, but it was a trait Yami had come to sympathize with, it was just who Yugi was. After all, if it hadn't been for his kindness and patience, they would've never connected the way they are now.

Bakura went on ahead after making sure his boyfriend was alright. He needed to prepare the arrangements for a room and since Yami was the only other one to know of the schedule but not really a talker, he really was the only one who could muster it. While Yugi carried Ryou to the hotel with his arm supporting him, Yami followed with the little supplies they had.

The inside of the hotel reminded Yugi much of a chalet, it was very cozy with a large lobby and a bar with several boardgames hoarded. Yugi swallowed as he saw the games messily stacked in a closet, his grandfather would scold people who would treat their games like that. He suddenly felt very guilty being reminded that he was here because he had decided to come along, not because he was still being kidnapped.

After Bakura handled the arrangements, they were able to adorn their quarters. As they led themselves inside, Yugi helped Ryou take a seat on the couch before he was able to check out the room. It was exceptionally small, there was a kitchenette at the side with a sofa for three and television, a tiny separate bathroom with bathtub that provided as shower as well, and to Yugi's massive disappointment, there were no separate bedrooms. Just a bunk bed with two double beds next to the living-area, in other words, a sincere and painful lack of privacy that everyone had so desperately needed.

"Are you serious that we have to share a room here too? We've been stuck with each other for a month in a car!" Yugi cried.

"Protocol," Bakura responded without much bother. Yugi couldn't see what he was doing clearly, but he had enough imagination to see the man was slipping a knife in his sock. "We need to stick together, police could show up anywhere."

Yugi felt like a spoiled child as he sat down on the lower bed, arms crossed and a self-evident pout on the lips. He wasn't happy about the situation at all, and that after he had looked forward to finally getting some privacy at all. "The least you could've done is book a separate room," he cursed under his breath.

"What of it, punk!" Yami watched closely as the two were rolling in a fight. He wasn't pleased with the outcome either, none of them probably were, but Bakura was right. They were still on the run and they needed to stick close for now. "If you don't like the way I handle things, by all means, get the fuck out!"

This turned Yugi on edge. Well, everyone was already close to snapping, but Yugi didn't get mad often. He was exhausted, bitterly annoyed, disappointed and emotionally charged. He had left his grandpa, an old man that could hardly walk the stairs by himself these days, alone with a shop to handle, right after he had finally gotten out of prison, without having told him anything! He had left behind his life, his friends, his family, just to be here, and he still didn't even know why he had done that in the first place. Thoroughly offended, Yugi got up and took a defensive stance, glaring wildly at the rapist in front of him who seemed to be itching for a challenge himself. "You don't know how to handle anything, that's why you rape them and fuck them up before you kill them!" Yugi yelled. This seemed to hit a nerve.

"Why you little –" As Bakura had launched forward, his fist already raised in the air to strike a severe blow, Yami stopped him by a simple death-glare after clearing his throat. It was triumphing to see how Yami could quell a situation like this so righteous without even doing anything. It made Yugi smile half-heartedly at the power he seemed to have over Bakura, but it quickly died down when his captor glanced a cold look at him as well. Toned down, Yugi plunged back on his seat and decided to drop the matter, not in the mood to start a fight with Yami.

Bakura was by now leaning over at his lover, his fingers combing gently through his hair with a care Yugi could not identify as his. When with Ryou, Bakura softened considerably and became a different man in an instant. He leaned closer and placed a chaste kiss atop of the white's hair before whispering in his ear. "I promise I'll be back soon, alright?"

Ryou's eyes shot open as wide as dinner-plates, his eyes immediately on Bakura who shot an apologetic look at the younger one. "You're leaving me alone?! Are you serious?!"

"Yami and I need to take care of a few things."

"I don't care! It can wait!"

Sighing, Bakura caressed through the white hair before turning around and glaring back at Yami, his face as unreadable as ever. Yugi looked at the both of them and realized they were actually leaving, whatever it was they had to do! If he was mad before, he was more than disappointed now, and he understood why Ryou was voicing his anger.

"Please, don't leave me Bakura! I need you! Please!"

"We'll be back in a few hours," the white-haired convict answered the both of them, purposely avoiding Ryou's desperate cries, even when the boy actually started shedding tears. Behind him, Yami followed, sharing a glimpse with Yugi before he too left through the door and shut it behind him, closing it with a key that they had taken with them. And there Yugi sat, alone, with Ryou who was sobbing his heart out, miserable shaking on the floor and crying out Bakura's name.

* * *

Mad was an understatement. No, Yugi wasn't mad, he wasn't mad at all. He was furious! Enraged! Infuriated beyond his own beliefs!

Ryou was still sobbing, he had been crying for a good two hours but at last it had finally settled down. This however, only added to Yugi's severe disappointment. The lack of knowledge in their escape plan was bothering him to no end and inside his head a rage was storming. He thoroughly regretted ever having agreed to come along and he was certain that, if given the chance, he would be able to snap Yami's neck at this very moment. Of course he didn't want to kill Yami, but he was just... so mad!

And then, he couldn't even start thinking about what he wanted to do to Bakura! Seriously, spending so much time with two insane murderers had affected him severely because he had a wild imagination of series of things he would do to that rapist! He didn't know much about Bakura, but he knew enough about the sick things he used to do with his victims and compared to Yami's handling, Bakura could rot in hell for all he was worth!

Startled, Ryou looked up at his friend who slammed down a tray of uncooked cake with more force then expected, a bit frightened by the death-glare on Yugi's face as he turned around and threw the cake violently in the oven, half of the liquid gushing out but man, it had felt good to do that! Yugi couldn't even believe what he was doing, baking cakes and pies out of sheer frustration. He hadn't done that since high-school one evening when he had come home from a tough night of being beaten up and having stayed up all night just baking the shit out of him until his grandpa had found him in the kitchen. Of course it was an insane and super weird thing to do when angry, but Yugi found refreshment in chopping up ingredients and pretending he was stabbing the people he hated instead. Now that he thought of it, he might be crazier than those two after all.

"A-are you okay?" Ryou asked very carefully, unprepared of how Yugi would react.

"Of course not!" Yugi yelled back and turned to look at his friend, still sitting in a miserable pile on the floor with Bakura's jacket wrapped around his shoulder. "They drag us all the way down here, make us sleep in a car for a month, and then they drop us off like life-stock while they 'take care' of a few fucking things! Doesn't it bother you?! It bothers me! Aargh! I'm so fucking angry!" He yelled and dropped on the bed, his arm covering his eyes from the terrible view of this cramped room, too annoyed to be reminded of it. Once settled down, Yugi realized how tired he really was. The comforter felt suddenly light-feathered below him as he felt like he could drift away any moment, but he sensed someone was watching him from above. Ryou peeked curiously over at his friend and took a seat next to him before rolling Yugi over. Confused, Yugi wanted to get up but when he suddenly felt Ryou's talented hands massaging the nerves in his shoulders, his muscles turned weak and he couldn't find the energy to struggle anymore. A massage, he couldn't remember the last time he had gotten one, but it felt great. Even when the albino went to sit on top of him, his knees pressing down next to Yugi's hips, Yugi didn't even flinch.

"I used to be a masseur," Ryou smiled as Yugi moaned silently in his touches, loving every bit of those slender hands working their ways through his tense muscles. After a few more minutes, Yugi felt like he should at least answer Ryou even though he had a hard time thinking about anything at all. God, Ryou's hands were miraculous!

"Did'u like ur job," Yugi slurred out the words with eyes still closed, slightly wincing when Ryou found a painful knot on his shoulder blade but made quick work of flattening it out. So wonderful.

"I loved it!" Ryou beamed, hands still kneading on the pale flesh below him. His smile turned upside down however. "But they... fired me."

"Why?"

"I was... emotionally unstable, I guess."

Wanting to turn around to make eye-contact with his friend due to the sudden seriousness of the topic, he could only tilt it slightly and frown as Ryou didn't seem to want the attention. He would much rather occupy himself by doing his friend a favor, thus explaining the topic without the concerning looks or the constant 'I'm sorry' blabbering.

"I sometimes just, panicked during certain customers. I don't know why though, nothing happened or anything, I just... freaked."

"Why?" Yugi asked. Despite his awfully relaxed state and sleepy footing, he was most certainly lending Ryou an ear in the conversation.

"I had flashbacks... about things that happened."

"Like what?"

Though asked rather mundane, Yugi could feel the sudden strain in Ryou's hand after he had raised Yugi's shirt so he could work on the muscles in his lower back. Yugi hadn't even noticed his friend had done that. He rolled his lips, seeing as Ryou wasn't keen on answering and not really sure what to do either. In any event, he secretly hoped Ryou would still continue his massage.

"You don't have to tell me if –"

"My mother sexually abused me."

His eyes wide in sudden shock, Yugi lay still for a moment before he found the courage to roll over, despite Ryou had continued doing his ministrations nonetheless. As he rolled over on his back, he saw the first glimpse of tears rolling down his cheeks and it broke Yugi's heart. He watched without saying anything, instead still lying on the bed, before Yugi reached forward and pulled Ryou down with him. Frazzled, Ryou gasped in surprise, not necessarily negative, as he was drawn to lie down next to Yugi. His big amethyst eyes stared him down while Ryou could only return his glare in discomfort, before he broke down in tears and snuggled in his friend's arms. Yugi swung his arms around the albino and let him cry in his embrace, comforting him and stroking him.

It took about an hour, maybe two, until the weeping finally came to an end. As Ryou felt like he was done sharing his tears he withdrew from the embrace and was greeted by a warm smile from his Japanese friend.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he finally asked, and Ryou rolled on his back to try and progress everything that had happened up till now. He hadn't noticed himself, but he was rather tired too, not just from a lack of sleep, but from the stress and tension of the past few weeks. He had undoubtedly agreed when Bakura had showed up on his doorstep again that they would disappear together, but he had never imagined for it to be this wrecking.

"I'm not sure," he admitted, eyes still bruised from crying and his voice very soft. "What is there to tell? When my father ran off with another woman, she abused me for three years. I was still so young, ten I think... I didn't know any better, I thought I was helping her."

"I can understand," Yugi responded. He took rolled aside to lie on his back so that both of them could stare at the ceiling, or rather the rear view of the mattress above them in the bunk bed. They were silent for a while, not really saying anything, as if no one wanted to push anyone, and it was slightly awkward but also slightly reassuring.

"I was... mad, when they separated us, you know? Because I felt like I couldn't take care of her, while I was trying so hard..."

"You thought you had to, because you didn't know any better."

"Yes!" Ryou exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air as if he was relieved that finally someone understood. "But then, when I got in high-school and everyone was having a girlfriend and they were, you know, talking about... that stuff. I guess I finally realized what had happened to me when I was younger."

Yugi turned his head sideways to look at his friend, his eyes wondering at him. "So, what did you do?"

"I was sent to a youth centre because I couldn't handle normal life, and well, I couldn't really make any friends my age either. I can't blame them, I was weird. Sometimes I started shouting in the middle of class, and I never really talked, let alone know how to act in a conversation."

"What happened then?" Yugi asked. He was by now lying on his back, his head resting on his supporting arm as to fully engage in their conversation. It was odd, Ryou hadn't expected to tell his entire life-story to his friend, but for some reason he didn't mind. Yugi was so sweet, so gentle, he was understanding, and despite Bakura tried really hard and never judged him, he simply wasn't the comforting or talking-about-your-feelings type to begin with. So this was nice, someone who wanted to listen was really nice.

"Well I... I stayed there till 18, moved to my own apartment, followed a training to become a masseur and then worked for a month or two as one... Then I lost my job and I couldn't afford living by myself anymore. I applied for other jobs like cleaning-staff or dish-washing but that didn't work out either. Was kicked on the street and then –" he held his breath for a few seconds, as if suddenly remembering what had happened then, "then I met Bakura."

Yugi smiled as Ryou's entire face lit up. The love he felt for him was almost pouring out of him and it was endearing to watch. "Was it love at first sight?"

"Hell no!" Ryou laughed and waved it off with his hand, "he raped me and wanted to kill me after it."

"EXCUSE ME?!" Okay, what the hell?! Did Ryou seriously say that with a smile on his face?! Baffled and completely in shock, Yugi's eyes only grew wider in size when Ryou began laughing louder, obviously amused by Yugi's reaction. An awkward grimace resided on Yugi's face as he watched his friend laughing. "That's, that's not healthy, Ryou! He didn't force you to do anything, did he?! Is he dragging you along without your consent after all?! Because if he is, just tell me!"

"No, nooo!" Ryou laughed, but Yugi didn't find this funny at all. So it was confirmed, he was truly travelling with a bunch of lunatics, Ryou no exception. And here he was thinking that Ryou was the only semi-normal person of the gang – aside from the once-occurring stunt that he pulled on him. "No it's nothing like that! Well, yes, but no. I just – I don't really know how to explain it. He raped me, but, oh god, please don't judge me now, I guess I sort of... liked it?"

By now, Yugi's mouth had dropped open as he could only stare at his friend.

"I-I-I mean, well, yeah, I liked it. I was glad someone finally gave me the attention and love that I wanted without I ever realized it! I felt great when it happened actually, like being set free or something! I don't fucking know!" Ryou covered his eyes in embarrassment.

"Okay okay, wait. So even if you did... like it, I still don't get how you ended up with each other!"

"He wanted to kill me after he was... done but, I guess he was shocked when he saw on my face that I liked it. I – I don't remember everything about it but, I do remember the look on his face when he saw I had come..."

Completely red himself from the topic at hand, Yugi raised himself to sit on the bed. "I'm sorry, this is super awkward to talk about. Sorry if I don't know how to answer."

"That's okay," Ryou shrugged. He wouldn't push Yugi into talking about something like this. After all, he knew perfectly well that it was strange and even freaky. "So, when did you fuck Yami for the first time anyway? Or was that in the car?"

Flushed and going limp, Yugi froze upon hearing those words and started tripping over his own words. "I – we – he just – forget it! Not important! Change of topic, now!"

As is steam was bursting out of his ears, Ryou chuckled knowingly, deciding to push further the matter as a means of entertainment. Everything was better than being locked up in a room with no sex for a week! "Is he big? I saw him naked a few times you know, he's pretty handsome."

"RYOU!"

Laughing too hard by the colour on Yugi's cheeks, Ryou couldn't suppress the waves of tears. He hadn't laughed like this in quite some time! Being with Bakura had made him happy, however the circumstances had not been in favour. They had been on the run for years before Bakura and Yami had been caught and locked up in prison. Now they were on the run again. Sometimes it was difficult to stay positive when there wasn't anything good to focus on. He simply wished that after they were far gone, they could live a peaceful life and laugh like this together, maybe even with Yami and Yugi as well.

"You know..." Ryou started and Yugi looked at him with an inquiring face. His face was still hot from their conversation but the sudden change in demeanor on Ryou's behalf didn't go unnoticed by him. He swore for a second that it felt like someone had dropped the temperature by five degrees. "They'll be gone for quite a while, I think..."

"They'll be back, Ryou. Don't worry so much." Yugi shuffled and wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders, pulling him closer for comfort. Ryou obliged happily as he tugged his head in the nape of Yugi's head and seconds later decided to indulge himself in a hug. Yugi stiffened slightly by the intimacy of it all but didn't quaver as he understood that Ryou simply was a man of confidentiality. However, the puffing breath in his neck made his blush feverishly. Being in a car for so long had taken its toll, and he couldn't deny that this moment of affection appealed to him, as they were alone and would be for quite a while. It bothered him how easily affected he was by such a little act, simply because of a lack of privacy.

"You're warm," Ryou smiled in Yugi's neck and healed himself closer. His arms were securely wrapped around the smaller's waist and Yugi had to swallow hard for the lump in his throat to go away. He was growing hotter any second and the way how Ryou pronounced his words wasn't helping.

By the time Ryou had slipped his hand under Yugi's shirt, he had already reached his chest when the boy finally awoke and realized what they were doing. He had been giving into the touches almost naturally, this wasn't like him at all! "Stop it!" Yugi demanded and pushed back his friend. He noticed the crook in Ryou's brows while beats of sweat had begun transpiring on his skin, already influenced by the closeness. "This is wrong," he said and looked away, a blush still evident on his cheeks. This was not what he wanted, he might not be in a confirmed relationship with Yami, he still had his pride and didn't want to sink so low as to give in to something so silly while he would be able to get it later. What in the world was happening to him?!

"You don't want it?" Ryou asked. It was obvious by his face that he was bothered immensely and started showing signs like he had last time when he had grabbed Yugi's hand without consent. His skin had paled dramatically and it almost looked like he was getting sick. Was this agitation from a lack of sex on Ryou's behalf? Was this a side-effect from his disorder, like Yami had explained?

"I – no – it's not a good idea." Yugi said as he tugged his hands between his legs. Whether if it was to express his insecurity or to avoid letting them wander too far was unsure. "I mean, I don't want to upset anyone."

Ryou leaned closer and looked his friend in the eyes. With a gasp, Yugi watched as Ryou smiled gently at him and tugged their foreheads together, ravishing the warmth of each other's touch. "You're not," he whispered, and then leaned closer. Yugi quivered and closed his eyes, startling lightly when something caressed his lips but pretended they were Yami's. Stealthily, he kissed back in favor, with innocent touches that didn't coax anything further. Just light brushes of feather. He felt how Ryou breathed out through his nose and the air tickled his skin pleasantly. He was kissing his friend, this was odd. But he felt good at the same time. He simply craved the affection.

No words were spoken as Yugi was tugged back down on the bed. Whilst his head was angled over the edge of the bed, the rest of his body was provided support. Being as it may, he let all his thoughts drift away, simply focussed on his feelings and decided to go along with all that he liked. Someone crawled on top of him, kissed his neck fervently and lowered down his body. He felt how his shirt was being lifted and how the person's lips caressed the bare skin of his belly. Yugi released a sigh that he hadn't been aware of holding, feeling himself relax and succumb to the blisses and touches, closing his eyes to perceive them more closely. The tension that he suddenly felt drifting away had been weighing down more heavily than he had anticipated, because it felt like he was floating on air now.

His pants were pulled down and Yugi tried hard to imagine how it were Yami's hands caressing his hips. His nails scraped pleasantly over his skin and made him shiver. A wave of guilt overran his thoughts but as soon as lips pecked at the skin around his inner thighs the furrow in his brow was lifted. Moaning lightly in the touch, he tried to remember how it would feel like if Yami would do this to him. Seeing as he hadn't yet experienced it, it was easier to imagine it would be something like this. But perhaps Yami would be a bit rougher in his touches, not because of his persistence but simply because of his gestures.

"Hmm..." Yugi sang pleasantly. Ryou's hands massaged the skin around his half-erect member before he softly brushed his fingers passed, his underwear still intervening. Soon after, he felt how those were tugged off as well and his groin was exposed for everyone to see. At this, he shut his eyes closed stubbornly to fight the embarrassment of it all, wanting to overcome this in favour of continuing. A loud gasp emerged from his lips when he felt heated lips kiss his intimate parts and his body jolted with electricity. Being touched down there, it felt like it hadn't happened for ages!

A hand pushed at his stomach to urge him to lay back down again, so Yugi did. There was a grimace on his lips that he couldn't seem to hide even if he wanted to, out of pure discomfort. However, those thoughts were drifted away once those lips continued. Another gasp was released when they kissed him pleasantly down there, his member growing completely erect and radiating his need for release. Then there were short licks that tingled at his sensitive skin, until the mouth hovered at the top and his tongue flickered around the leaking fluids. Yugi whimpered softly, quivering by the touches, his knees pulled higher to provide better access. The mouth tugged down deeper and took in of him more, engulfing his erection with a wet warmth that clung to it. Oh how great this would feel if those were Yami's lips! All he could think about was the intense and heated stare of bright crimson eyes looking lewdly back at him while he would pleasure him orally. That would be a dream come true!

And he saw them. When Yugi's eyes shut open once Ryou had so abruptly halted his ministrations, he was face to face with the upside down view of Yami's neutral stare as he closed the door behind him. Standing next to him was Bakura, his eyes raging and twitching with hatred as he stared back with mouth dropped open in pure horror

"B-Bakura, I'm sorry –" Ryou attempted to say, saliva still leaking from his mouth as he sat phazed on the bed, eyes beginning to tear up. But Bakura wouldn't have it. He was fuming with such rage that Yugi was certain the steam would burst from his ears. This was bad, this was really bad! Was Yami mad? Would he kill him now?! What if he hated him for allowing that?!

"Unbe-fucking-lievable! I leave you alone for a few damn hours and you're –" Bakura could not muster to finish his sentence as he looked away in disgust, not enjoying the view of how his lover hovered above another man's sex. He was so mad that he was sure he could break a glass with just his hand.

Whilst the two white-haired lovers emerged into an all-out open fight, Bakura yelling out his lungs while Ryou burst out in tears, hurrying after him down the hall, Yugi and Yami's eyes were still tightly locked into a deep stare of nothingness. Yugi couldn't read what Yami was thinking. He might as well have been watching another one of those stupid Chinese game shows instead of this, and Yugi's heart pounded fast in his chest. Was he mad? Was he hurt? Which was it? Yugi couldn't tell as the serial-killed trotted forward in a calm pace, approaching Yugi who still lied down on the bed. They both said nothing as Yami bowed on his knees to come to eye-height with his captive whom seemed intimidated by his appearance. Yugi broke out in a cold sweat, doubting everything now, unable to predict Yami's next moves.

"I'm," Yugi started as he was suddenly silenced by such silky soft lips that his heart made a leap. With wide eyes he stared openly in shock as he was being kissed amiably, feeling the breath from Yami's nose tingling his chin enticingly. He closed his eyes, enjoying the romance behind and upside-down kiss and finally understanding all those cheesy movies where the protagonists kissed the girl the same way.

Once Yami withdrew, Yugi was compelled to look him deeply in the eyes, his heart swelling when he now saw so many emotions of love and compassion. Yami's eyes were dancing and they were beautiful to watch up close. Yugi released a sigh, his body letting go of the previous tension when Yami and Bakura had entered the room. Yami wasn't angry, Yugi didn't know why, but he was sure of it, and frankly he didn't care. Yami was an odd man to understand anyway.

Another peck on the lips and Yugi's eyes fluttered like a butterfly's wings, watching with only slight realization as Yami strolled to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Yugi realized only after hearing the streaming of water what had just happened. Had he just escaped death? And what had he seen in Yami's eyes? Love? But, why?

Perplexed, Yugi remained silently on the bed, not bothering to pull up his pants, too lost in thought to care about anything in the world. He hadn't even heard Yami approach him when suddenly he stared down at the man's bare feet nestled pleasantly between the fur of the floor's carpet, and Yugi looked up. Above him, Yami stood with straight lips, before he walked away again, back to the bathroom, this time leaving the door open. As Yugi looked at it, he understood that he was supposed to follow, or at least that was what Yami was trying to tell him.

He got up, working back his way in his pants and carefully opened the door of the small bathroom, a hot steam bracing his face as he entered and was welcomed with a romantic view of a bath decorated with several candles, the dim light flickering in the water of a steaming-hot bathtub. Yugi's lips parted as he drank the view in delight, finding Yami sitting at the edge of the bath, his eyes resting on him, waiting for him. Had this been his plan all along? How else had he purchased the candles?

Yugi walked up to him, their eyes connected in a long stare of shared emotions. Yami remained silent and stood up, undressing himself without any words. Yugi watched as the tanned man exposed every bit of his sun-kissed skin and leaped over the edge, sinking his leg in the water inch by inch to get adjusted to the temperature.

Yugi found himself doing the same after that, not understanding why but just feeling like he wanted to do it. He had to admit that after a month of driving a hot bath looked appealing, especially with Yami in it. He dipped his toes in the water, smiling at the tingling sensation and carefully stepped in the bathtub, all the while feeling Yami's eyes resting on him. He sat down, hissing slightly at the burning sensation of the water and then released a deep breath. This was nice. This was... perfect.

He laid back and sighed when his bare back touched Yami's chest. His skin was pleasantly soft as Yugi settled between the man's legs and made himself comfortable in his arms. Almost automatically, Yami reached forth and wrapped his arms around the boy, lightly kissing the nape of his neck. Yami wasn't really good with words, and he certainly wasn't good with actions, but he had hoped Yugi would appreciate this gesture.

Yugi smiled wildly, letting himself completely relax in the water and resting against his captor's chest, reliving the sensations and emotions of the moment as he hadn't felt this happy in a while now. He still didn't understand what was going on inside Yami's mind and they had a long way to go before they'd completely trust each other, but this made Yugi sincerely happy. If every day could be like this moment, he'd run for the rest of his life if Yami was by his side. Would Yami feel the same?


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: waiting... just, waiting**

There was only the rankling of cutlery while the four of them helped themselves to their meals. Aside from this the atmosphere was almost suffocating, which was odd considering how long they had spent together. That Yami was giving the silent-treatment was nothing anew, that Yugi had gotten used to. But that Ryou or not even Bakura shared a word, that made him feel petulant.

If Bakura was still bothered about what had happened between Yugi and Ryou, then the man was just a big child nagging about not getting things his way. If there was one things Yugi was certain of at this moment, it was that he and Bakura would never get along. He was headstrong and exceptionally persistent, much to Yugi's distaste. People who would not compromise were not easy to harmonize with. So he realized that what they had done was perhaps not the brightest idea, but with everything going on lately and, least we forget, Ryou's condition, it had been bound to happen. Besides, Ryou wasn't supposed to do anything! He came along willingly, and Bakura treated him like shit. So he got what he deserved.

Being it the situation they were in now, with such daunting silence that everyone seemed either uptight or the exact opposite, Yugi decided to add more fuel to the already setting fire, cutting every rope of tension like a knife.

"Where are we going after this?"

Bakura lowered his fork, a short snicker escaping him before he steadily closed his eyes. As the other two occupants in the room could tell Yugi wasn't going to let go of this any time soon without a fight, the clacking of eating suddenly halted and was met with a lingering silence before Bakura curled his toes. He glared at the boy venomously. "Somewhere."

"Where."

"As I said," Bakura smirked and leaned back on his chair, his arms settling at the back of his head to make himself more comfortable. Hearing a frustrated growl from the boy, the white-haired Egyptian couldn't help but snicker at the sound. "Somewhere."

"You know perfectly well where I'm getting at, Bakura!" Yugi was awfully hostile given the fact that he was at a large disadvantage with the man. But he felt bold, supported by the people around him this time. He wasn't the kid anymore who avoided being picked on at any moment, and he was so sick of the lack of knowledge he was given about their disappearances. Yugi had chosen to be here, he had willingly given up his previous life and he would demand an answer to his question until he finally knew what to expect from the future. Playing Bakura's games was getting all the while more tedious. "Tell me, damn it!" He snarled.

Bakura peeked open an eye out of curiosity, not often exposed to Yugi's less timid character. He had always been a man to appreciate defence and a good fight. Looking at his old friend, Yami was doing a rather good job avoiding the topic once again and simply shrugged when feeling Bakura's eye on him. Of course he would remain unbiased in siding situations, that was so typical of him.

"The less you know the better."

"I've had about enough of you!" Yugi jumped from his seat, the chair toppling as he leaned forward to appear more threatening. Bakura had to admit, if the boy would be a bit taller he'd almost remind him of Yami, and that fact was scaring enough to frighten him. "Ever since day one you've been a total jerk to everyone and you act like you're the smartest guy around! I don't even get why Ryou would even stay with you!"

At that remark, Bakura's eyes had turned into ominous slits and he felt a swell of anger tugging at his chest. Ryou was surprised by the mentioning of his name and turned weary, afraid of the outcome of the situation.

"You're nothing but a sick murderer, a rapist, a lunatic with disgusting fetishes that gets a kick out of torturing other people! I bet that's the reason why your mother –"

"You have a big mouth for someone who's fucking an insane serial-killer that has more deaths on his name than I!"

"Well at least Yami doesn't go around and fuck the corpses he kills!"

"No, he just stabs a knife through his own parents' heart!"

The reaction after that remark was quick but sturdy. Bakura felt the wind being knocked out of his lungs as he was smacked against the wall and effectively pinned down against it, murderous demon eyes glaring at him and his trembling hand reached for his throat to put pressure around it. He wasn't being exactly choked, but it was still difficult for Bakura to breathe and focus on anything other than those agonizing eyes eating him alive, a fear so intense and suffocating he had almost forgotten that he could feel it.

Ryou flinched forward, running toward the two and yanking at Yami's arm, screaming and crying, begging to let go, falling on his knees in desperation. Yugi couldn't move. He had been so caught up in the argument that he hadn't even realized what was happening until Ryou had risen from his seat. Baffled, he stood in shock, staring at the harrowing scene before him as Yami had begun repeatedly slamming Bakura against the wall, over and over again, completely ignoring the cries and pleas that Ryou so shamelessly shared. He was practically draped around the serial-killer's arm in an attempt to stop him but unable to, having begun shouting Yugi's name for help, who remained untouched.

"IT'S YOUR FAULT, EVERYTHING HAS BEEN YOUR FUCKING FAULT!"

Whatever it was Yami was ranting on about, and although it didn't make much sense to Yugi, he knew he had to do something, even if he didn't like Bakura in the slightest. He had no idea what Yami was capable of being the state he was in now, and the remark Bakura had made had obviously triggered him relentlessly. He might actually kill him!

"Ya – Yami!" He managed to say more confident the second time. Running to his captor, he did the first thing he could think and he reached for him despondently, seizing him with all his might as he buried his face in the man's back. "Stop it! Please, stop it, you don't have to do this!"

He breathed in once upon hearing those soft words reaching out to him, freezing his movements, Bakura still squirmed against the wall while blood had begun trickling down from it. He watched carefully, his eyesight wavering as if in a state of growing wary again after too much alcohol. Where had he been? He couldn't remember. He couldn't even remember how his hands had ended up around Bakura's neck. Everything was just a big black hole in his memory, although he did recall feeling extremely furious. That same feeling still seemed to linger in the back of his head as he tried to collect his surroundings.

He felt someone tugging at his arm and saw the deprived state Ryou was in, eyes swollen and red from crying, so he let go. Bakura slipped down to the floor and immediately Ryou took him in his arms and started attending to him, all in the while whispering gentle, loving words to the man who was thankfully still conscious. Still, it seemed whatever Yami had done had had an effect on his friend, because he had turned awfully quiet and didn't even complain when Ryou attended to the gap in his head.

When Yugi grasped a handful of Yami's shirt, Yami's conscience slowly regained. The older man grew silent when realization dawned upon him. It was the first time someone had stopped him. He was certain he would've killed Bakura if given the chance. He had been so close to killing someone he loved again... But Yugi had stopped him. That had never happened before. Whatever connection he shared with this boy, it was obvious that he had a larger effect on him than he had originally given him credit for.

"It's, it's okay," Yugi sniffed when hugging the man before him, not expecting him to respond. It frustrated him how he was unable to hold back the tears, but he'd been so emotional lately that it was an impossible task for him. The fear, the anger, and all the while the love... Everything was so estranged, Yugi didn't know where to arrange all of it.

Holding Yami was like holding a rock. The man didn't move, barely made a sound except for the loud thudding in his chest. Yugi sensed how his eyes were glued to Bakura's impoverished state but that was about the end of it. Nonetheless, he held on tight, too stubborn to let go of the man. He wanted to let Yami know that he was here for him, that he could help him! Letting go of him was practically telling him that Yugi was afraid.

Wearily, the Egyptian shifted in Yugi's arms and Yugi loosened his grip to give the man some space. He watched with wide eyes as Yami's body seemed to falter and cave in on itself, as if he could collapse any moment. Yugi reached over to help him but Yami beat him to it, having already sauntered to the couch and collecting the remote. Confused, Yugi watched closely how the man vacantly put on the tv and watched the very first thing that came to screen, a Russian documentary without subtitles, in other words, incomprehensible. And all he did was stare at the screen as if it was sucking the life out of him.

As Yugi watched Ryou still tending Bakura's wounds, they decided it was best to move Bakura to bed together. Ryou wanted to lie down next to him so that he could comfort him, thus Yugi would give them some privacy. It seemed like all of them could use some time alone so Yugi picked up some scraps of paper and a pen and sat down at the kitchen table, entertaining himself with his writing so that Yami could be alone for a moment. The room was filled with a suffocating silence and it was awkward, but bearable.

It was only after hours of writing, Yugi having completely lost himself in his scriptions and notes, that he realized how much time he had spent just writing down everything that had come to mind. When had he started writing his thirtieth sheet of paper again? He couldn't remember. Looking over at the living-area, Yami was sitting gloomily in the dark, the bright lights of the tv reflecting the colour in his skin. He still seemed out of the blue and drawn in on himself, and Yugi was saddened by the view. Yami looked terrible, completely drained and on the verge of collapsing. Why didn't he want anyone to help him?

With baby steps, Yugi committed himself to the living-area where Yami still resided. Bakura and Ryou had long fallen asleep and except for the incoherent blabbing of the Russian language on the television, it was silent, almost peaceful in their hotel room. As Yugi looked at his captor, his eyes drew to the television where he noticed teleshopping had started airing, figuring Yami wasn't paying attention to it at all. He was most likely just leaving on the tv to have a distraction in his midst.

"Hey," Yugi spoke softly, standing aside the Egyptian whom didn't quiver, eyes still steadfast in front of him. Yugi noticed how his hands were clutched to the remote as if holding onto dear life, and this concerned him. Was he afraid of something? Or was he hurting? Determined, he sat down next to the man, watching him intently, his view maneuvering to the screen once in a while. And then, after a few minutes of making sure Yami had noticed his presence and not yet shooed him away, Yugi decided to take his chance. Gently, he placed his hand above Yami's, the man's hands increasing their hold on the remote but not pulling away. Yugi padded his hands with his thumb softly as a means of comfort, desperately trying to make eye-contact. He noticed the hesitation and faltering of Yami's demeanor, ever so lightly reaching through. Yami remained silent all the way, though his facial expression changed drastically. His eminent stare of emotionlessness had finally ceased, replaced by one of despair. With brows knitted together, his shoulders tensed as he dropped his gaze to his own feet, feeling utmost defeated and incapable of keeping up his appearance. He was not okay, he wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he just wanted to drop dead, he had wanted that for years. He had tried so many times to take his own life, but the voices in his head wouldn't let him. He was cursed, forever.

Yugi jumped forward to take the Egyptian in his arms whom caved in completely. He reached for his captive, launching his arms around him and holding him steadfast, his shoulders shaking as he moderately succumbed into a sobbing fit.

"Sshht, you'll be fine. Don't listen to them," Yugi whispered in Yami's ear. The serial killer gasped at the kind words and held on tighter, his fists clutching in Yugi's shirt. He cried silently, allowing himself to spread his tears, allowing himself to be comforted, just like his mother used to do.

* * *

Last week had been a desperate attempt of catching up on sleep and much-needed privacy. While no one was allowed to go outside and let themselves seen, aside from a few groceries at the local shop that Bakura usually got, they did spend some time outside around the hotel. Just casual strolls around the lodgings, getting some fresh air and some sanity pumped back in their brains. But they weren't allowed to go any further, Bakura insisted on it.

The Egyptian was healing fine. It looked like he was a quick healer because in two days notice he was up and about again, driven mad by all the bed-rest and concern from his lover. Bakura was no man to be mothered, and certainly not one who couldn't take a punch. The ordeal with Yami had long been forgiven, Bakura acting as if nothing happened and Yugi appreciating that. Discussing one of Yami's onslaughts was not what they needed right now, especially with Yami being so sensitive as of late. Their destination still wasn't common knowledge, but it had been talked through why this was impossible to do so, so Yugi complied.

Yami had been exceptionally silent these days. Well, he usually was, but given that he had grown fonder over the past weeks and slightly more talkative, his behaviour was worrisome. Then again, Yugi also noticed as his vocal capacities lessened that his physical ones increased. He stared an awful lot at Yugi, at which many times Yugi asked him what was wrong and Yami would just surprise him with a hug. He had to hold him closely all night and on the few strolls that they took, Yami wouldn't let go of Yugi's hand, even if it was freezing outside. It also came to Yugi's notice that his autistic characteristics had lessened. They were still there, hand-picking his food as usual, but he wouldn't freak out about a cup of instant-noodles anymore. He would actually eat them, though with a confused look on his face. All in the while, Yugi tried his best to make it as comfortable to the both of them as possible. Sharing baths, massaging him, watching random movies that were available in the apartment but sucked ass nonetheless. At given moments, Yami would sometimes have a tendency of picking up a pencil and starting to draw Yugi on scraps of paper, and the drawings actually looked great!

Yugi rolled over in his sleep, worry sifting through him once more. He had too many things to think about, but must of all what predominated was his grandfather. Perhaps it was a consequence of guilt, but Yugi couldn't shake the thought of how worried and distraught his old man must be. Whenever there was a night that he couldn't sleep, it was always because he was thinking of his grandpa, and it would most likely not fade any time soon.

He noticed a pair of blood-red eyes lingering above him, like two bright gems shining at the depth of night. He was used to them of course, aside from closing his eyes for some rest, Yami never really slept. Yugi reeled in closer, resting his head against Yami's chest and closing his eyes.

"Sleep?"

Amethyst eyes looked up, apprehending that Yami had actually said something today. Yugi shook his head, nuzzling his face in the other's chest, inhaling his scent. "Can't."

As if absorbed by Yami's intense stare, Yugi couldn't help but melt in those eyes, his troubles from before fading like snow but still stealthily remaining at the surface. With slitted eyes, he looked over his captor, trying to learn every curve and scar on his skin by heart. He was so beautiful, yet also cursed. If given the chance, if, in perhaps a different universe, Yami would've never relented to his sanity, if he would've been a normal, healthy teenager going to the same school as Yugi, would they have ever noticed each other? How handsome would Yami have looked with a smile on his face, his white teeth contrasting with such rich skin as he would be talking to a friend while standing next to his locker. And Yugi would pass by, compelled by him, secretly crushing over him, but never known by anyone. Could that ever be real? Could it ever be that perfect?

Yugi held out his hand, caressing the bare skin in front of him, the pads of his fingers brushing it softly. Yami's muscles relaxed as the man closed his eyes and Yugi smiled, proud that he had gained so much trust from this man. He absorbed the angelic face Yami exposed in this vulnerable state, imagining how it would be to wake up next to him upon the first rays of the sun in an exotic country far, far away from here. How he wished to have something like that, if only...

As Yugi's hand lowered to the centre of Yami's chest, his hand was stopped right in its track. A sturdy glare had returned, scrutinizing him, knowing all to well he was trying to reach for the triangular scar. Yugi lowered his gaze, trying to pull his hand away from Yami's grasp. He knew he had crossed a line the moment he was reaching for the ominous scar, but he couldn't deny the curiosity that came with it. If anything, he simply wanted to understand Yami, come to learn his past.

Naturally, no words were needed to express how surprised he was when he felt his hand being pressed against Yami's chest. His fingers were neatly placed around the scar and it almost looked like the red lines were glowing before Yugi looked up to meet Yami's gaze. He sensed a certain determination, understanding that Yami was giving him allowance, although their was a line of uncertainty formed between his lips. Yugi didn't hesitate as the palm of his hand reached the surface of the marred skin, the particular spot emitting a strange warmth. He drew in a breath, his thumb brushing the sensitive skin as if he was an explorer trying to decipher the hieroglyphs on the wall.

"W-what is it?" He asked, unsure. He didn't know how Yami would react to his question, if he would answer it at all. But he had to know. Yami stared at him intently, not letting go of his hand all the while.

"Death." He responded, the word rolling of his lips as if it were the most natural thing to say. Yugi's eyes widened in shock, their eyes still tightly locked.

Suddenly, Yugi was jerked sideways and rolled on top of Yami, his face bumping right in Yami's chest, on the scar, and he scrambled on his hands and knees frantically with flushed cheeks. Yami reeled him in for a hug, tantalizingly brushing Yugi's bare back with his nails that provided a tickling experience that made Yugi nervous. He didn't like this position, he was embarrassed and wanted to get off. It went without saying that the colour on his cheeks only reddened further when Yami started kissing his neck. He certainly wasn't in the mood for that!

"Y-Yami," he managed to struggle out of the man's grasp and looked down upon him, noticing how Yami seemed slightly flustered. The way how his arms were spread out was all too compromising and Yugi couldn't help but stare in awe. He shook his head upon realizing what he was thinking, deciding now was not the right time, certainly with Bakura and Ryou sleeping above them in the bunk bed. But it seemed Yami thought differently about that. Out of the blue, the older man grabbed Yugi's hand and yanked it toward the source of his arousal. Yugi quivered violently, not expecting this ministration but not doing anything to stop it either. He looked awkwardly at the man below him whom had closed his eyes in pleasure, breath slightly ragged as he pushed Yugi's hands down his underwear and motioned for him what to do. Compelled by the many emotions Yami so seldom shared, Yugi said nothing, eyes shimmering while watching Yami's face from up close. He hissed at the contact of his lover's hand on his erection, awaiting attention eagerly as precum was already leaking out of its tip. With lips separated slightly, moans escaped through a thickness of lust that Yami no longer tried to hide. He had decided long ago that his feelings for Yugi were true, those of need and protection, love and much more. Sex did no longer fear him, as long as it was with him.

Yugi bit his underlip ineptly, a need for the man below him only adding up further by watching him in full arousal. Yami tilted his head back, a low grunt rolling out and thus exposing his neck in an erotic way that made Yugi flush. It didn't help that the only thing they were wearing was underwear either, the fabric, thin as it was, rubbing Yugi's skin. He wanted this man, wanted to feel good with him again, wanted to connect to him on a level that no one else ever would. Bending over, he kissed Yami's neck fervently, grazing at the skin with his teeth, drowning in the growls of pure bliss he released upon the received attention. He squeezed Yugi's hand harder, the pale hand squeezing his own erection harder in return, and he moaned louder in pleasure as Yugi licked the bruised skin underneath his jawline.

"H-Habibi," he whispered softly. Yugi looked up with half-lidded eyes, not having understood the word but not daring to ask what it meant either, afraid it would ruin the moment. He hovered above Yami's panting lips, kissing them with open mouth before nuzzling his face in the other's. Yami's hand released his grip slightly around his erection, Yugi apprehending his ability to control his own hand again, before Yami held it again and moved it lower. Yugi's eyes widened and he drew back in surprise when his hand was guided to Yami's rim, his hand imploring him to slick a finger inside. With ragged breath he looked at his lover below him, Yami returning his stare with a face of pure ecstasy, panting heavily with a look of longing. He was giving Yugi permission to do this, and it looked like he wasn't having any second thoughts.

Suddenly unable to control himself anymore after witnessing a look so compelling and arousing, Yugi slid his finger full-force inside, causing Yami's body to jerk. He continued nonetheless, locking Yami in a kiss before thrusting his finger in frantically, absorbed by the intimacy of Yami's request. How proud he felt for having earned this trust, how happy he felt for the chance of touching him so intimately, that Yami wanted to share this with only him. As soon as their lips disconnected and Yugi continued kissing his exposed neck, he became aware of the loud cries Yami faltered by his actions. He grabbed Yugi's back with both his hands, digging his nails in the pale flesh as he held him closely, contracting with every inward thrust of Yugi's finger. He whimpered in Yugi's ear but never complained, eyes closed to keep himself from crying. It felt stranger than he had imagined, as if a type of pressure was released on an inner muscle, not necessarily painful. He would see through with this, he wanted to know how it felt, to understand how Yugi felt during their love-making, what sex meant to him, so that he could do it even better.

Perhaps he dared to admit that he even felt slightly disappointed when all of a sudden, Yugi seized his gestures. It felt strange to lose all of that pressure so suddenly. As he opened his eyes, chest heaving frantically, he saw Yugi rumbling with his free hand in the nightstand while his other was still inside. Yami looked at him with fluttering eyes, confusion evident on his face, a bottle then in Yugi's hand as he looked at Yami with a loving smile on his face, reassuring him by the means of a kiss.

And then, Yugi slid his finger out. The Egyptian found his tense muscles easing up and he lied flat on his back, trying to catch his breath. He noticed Yugi taking off his underwear but paid it no mind, he felt how he removed his own underwear but couldn't care less. He shut his eyes again, breathing having turned to a steadier rhythm, until he heard the uncapping of a bottle and, out of curiosity, peeked his eyes open. Yugi poured a generous amount of lube on his hand and rubbed it across his own erection, amusing Yami with a loud hiss from the contact of the cold liquid. Yugi saw his reaction and smirked back at him, massaging his cock, amused on his behalf by the look he received from his own actions. Hunger, lust, a need for more, longing. The last bit of oil on his hand he rubbed across Yami's entrance, the man looking at him worryingly as he knew what was about to come. Yugi settled between his legs, bending over to give him a long-lasting kiss, teasing his erection between Yami's cheeks to make him acquainted. With a sturdy hand, Yami grabbed Yugi's ass and squeezed it hard, implying for him to continue. Yugi smiled, settling himself on his knees, positioning his cock at Yami's entrance. Before him, Yami lied still, eyes covered with his arm while his other hand was already grasping the covers beneath them. He hummed in delight, anticipation rising higher with every second, remembering the view of submissiveness before him, in love.

A deep grunt of discomfort. Yugi's ears perked up like a cat's, an alarm-bell blaring off in his head. He had barely entered him, it was only the tip of his cock. Determined, he pushed himself further, delving in half-way before another uncomfortable groan was heard on Yami's behalf.

"Do you want to stop?" Yugi asked, only barely managing to control himself from not pounding into this man at full speed. With a painful grimace on his face, Yami shook his head in disapproval, though his certainty faltered by another cry when Yugi only slightly slid deeper. He seemed in so much pain, Yugi wasn't even sure if he could go through with this.

Right before he wanted to suggest to continue this another time, Yami suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Yugi by his hips, dragging them toward him, causing Yugi's erection to be fully shed inside. He cried in pain, arms swung around Yugi's shoulders to hold onto something, biting his own lip to keep himself from yelling. Yugi's head toppled over in pleasure, moaning from the sudden tightness around him. He was unable to control himself anymore, Yami's actions had caused him to forget about the man's comfort. He retreated, pushing himself back in, repeating the motion over and over as he moaned in joy, fucking Yami's hole hard. Though he felt the painful digging of Yami's nails in his back, he was too absorbed by his own needs to pleasure himself. The cries on Yami's behalf he only heard with one ear. He felt extremely tight, the noises only adding to the moment.

"O-oh, oh Yami," he whispered, grabbing the older man's hips to pound into him faster. Yami reacted automatically by tilting his legs up higher to give him better access, though he was having a hard time biting away the pain. Why did this feel so good for Yugi? Yugi had an average seize, so this probably wasn't even half the pain Yugi must feel.

For a moment, Yugi picked himself up to settle himself on his legs, absorbing the view of a flustered Yami breathing heavily beneath him, knees raised to his chest, his cock still inside of him. It was the peak of true arousal and turned Yugi's head over, continuing to fuck his captor while raising his legs higher in the air. The new angle made Yami's insides churn with a strange feeling he hadn't felt before, much like the pressure he had described when Yugi had used his finger. The pain slowly subsided, replaced by a throbbing tension in his abdomen that felt unnatural. He looked down at himself, looking intriguingly at the constant dis- and reappearing of his lover's cock that slipped in and out of him. Aroused, he grabbed his own dick that had finally begun to revive after a break, tugging it frantically and turned rock-hard in only a few seconds. He titled his head back, moaning by the new-found pleasure, noticing how Yugi began fucking him harder. Adding to the thrusts, he tried buckling his hips at the rhythm, proud when he heard a louder cry from his captive whom continued pounding into him harder, faster, more desperate. He came suddenly, his own semen painting across his chest, the last straw to turn Yugi on edge. He cried hard as he came inside, pounding in a few more times before his rhythm died down, so did the beating of his heart. Almost immediately, the Japanese bend over to catch his lover in a passionate kiss that surprised Yami, but complied with in eagerness. They could feel each other's chests sliding against one another each time they inhaled rapidly, Yami's semen lubricating between them to add more friction to their afterglow.

"_Shht. I think it's over."_

"_Bakura!"_

Yugi rolled his eyes when hearing the couple above them arguing in stage-whispers, loud enough for all of them to hear. He looked at Yami and was surprised to see a smile on his face before the man started laughing quietly. It grew louder as Yugi joined in, both of them laughing in each other's arms, only more so when the whispering above them suddenly halted as was replaced by utter silence.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: a kiss with a fist is better than none**

Yugi hadn't expected to be so excited when they would leave, but oh, how happy he was to leave that cramped room! He looked back at the building, shrinking behind them in the car, turning in his spot to take a seat. Yami looked at him with clear eyes, not asking anything, rather showing Yugi that he understood, that they were leaving something behind, again. No one spoke as Bakura turned right to find the nearest access to the highway, all too tired to share their thoughts, not physical, only mental. Tired of being on the run, and tired of looking at each other's faces.

They drove for another three days, nothing compared to the previous months they had gone through, but agonizing enough. Days were short in Russia so Yugi was happy when they passed a welcoming-plate to Ukraine. Later it was Romania, all the same. He had no idea which country they had bordered last, and Yugi doubted it was of any significance.

In a very distant, remote location, away from the crowds and city, they finally stopped. It was an exiled car park, populated by the thick sprouting of weeds and persistent plants who could survive long enough without water. The weather was a nice change of events as the sun broke through the clouds and kissed Yugi's skin the first time in over a month, welcoming it with an outright sigh. He felt Yami's eyes on him and turned, smiling brilliantly at the man whom returned it with a smile of his own, perhaps more retreated but heart-warming nonetheless. Yugi loved it whenever he even resolved to tilt the crack in his lip upwards and share a glimpse of a sulking happiness surfacing at the brim. He understood that Yami would never be one to share many emotions in the open with a minimum of positive ones, for that his past was simply too puzzled. That's why he appreciated these attempts more than anything.

Ryou cracked his neck with a curt tilt, the sounds startling Yugi out of his staring and making him chuckle. Ryou was amusing to watch while generally pleased, with a permanent curve in his lip and brilliant eyes suddenly gaping at Bakura with more love and understanding than every before. He radiated a warmth that affected the cold Egyptian, even if Bakura would never admit it. That was why he resolutely ignored Ryou's beaming for the sake of keeping up tough appearances, pretending the man didn't influence him even if he wanted to.

"We walk the last two hours," Bakura announced, throwing a heavy travelling bag at the only other Egyptian. Yami caught it only to scowl at the backpack, scrutinizing it with a displeased scrunch of his nose before taking the weight on his back. Yugi received a smaller bag of his own which he had to carry as well, along with Ryou. Two hours of walking was the last thing on anyone's mind right now. Their limbs weren't exactly well-prepared for physical activity after more days of strained driving and sleeping in the backseat. Yugi had to swallow a grin when he heard Yami groan as another bag was thrown in his direction, stacking him like a horse.

Their stroll was surprisingly enough more entertaining than they had expected. It was freeing to finally be able to walk further than around the block while they had been staying in the cottage. Surrounded by the singing of birds and chirping of crickets, the four of them wandered without many thoughts on their mind, taking advantage of the opportunity of reloading their batteries with newly-acquired energy and the ability to distance one another for more than ten feet. Bakura walked up ahead like the scout-leader he was, having grabbed a large branch on the way to add to his already demeaning aura of scavenger. Ryou followed him a few feet behind, humming songs to lift his spirit while his head shook occasionally along the rhythm. At the back, Yugi remained with Yami closely by his side, finding it amusing how Bakura would turn on his heels every once in a while to scold about the humming, especially when he groaned once the humming resurfaced after a full two minutes of silence. As Yugi peaked a glance, he noticed the softest of content smiles on Yami's lips and Yugi couldn't help but blush at the emanating coziness of the simplicity of his face. Yugi looked ahead, controlling the further reddening of his face when a rush of adrenaline blazed through his senses, finding it hard to believe how hard he had fallen for this man. And yet the revelation was quickly ablaze upon remembering the circumstances in which they resided, why they were on the run in the first place and what he had given up to remain here after having had the chance to go home several times. It crushed his mood and Yami noticed this, not knowing what went through the Japanese's head but meeting his hand with one of his own, squeezing it reassuringly. Yugi looked up, met by a side-ways glance of obvious reluctance to admit his own ministrations, huffing heartily at the tanned man.

And yet, with every step Yugi had taken, he had never contemplated being picked up by a private jet.

He stood, with his tongue swollen, staring his eyes out at the vehicle that had unbeknownst made her appearance after several miles of walking. It looked brand-new, and while checking the plane out Yugi gasped as he saw the initials of the previous company where he had worked imprinted on its side, a sturdy K trespassing the letter C. It was only after Yami had let go of his hand to follow Bakura to their host that Yugi remembered how to breathe. He looked around frantically after gaining up, now standing next to the plane's wheel.

"Yug'!"

That voice, he remembered it like it was yesterday. It had a hint of stubbornness across a thick dialect, reminding Yugi of a time that he much rather preferred forgetting, even if he took refugee in the person who this voice belonged to. Toward him Jonouchi ran and Yugi took a moment to appreciate a change of clothing on the blonde. The casual style was exactly how Yugi had imagined him to be, only adding to his surprise and yet sincere relief to be reunited with his friend. "Jou!"

Jou caught him in an unexpected hug that extracted a shrill sound of surprise from his smaller friend, asking a few seconds of confusion before Yugi found it in his guts to hug his friend back for all he was worth. He laughed out loud in happiness, the two twirling around while teasing each other with squeezes and gentle knocks, Jou ending their reunion with a much-begging rubbing of his hair. "Hye, buddy."

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Yugi asked, the question having rested on his tongue as soon as he had laid eyes on his friend.

"Me? What the hell are _you_ doing here?" Jonouchi asked in return, looking back to where his boyfriend was standing, talking to his cousin though he was certain Yami provided little answer, and then back at Yugi, his smile having faltered in the meantime. He noticed the sagging of Yugi's shoulder at the return of his question, a grimace on the Japanese's face that Jou could only translate as guilt, doubting Yugi knew the answer to that question himself.

"You're still with him," Jonouchi stated matter-of-factly, searching for an answer in Yugi's eyes. Yugi sighed heavily, as if he was carrying a lot more than just the small bag Bakura had handed him over prior.

"I am."

"You love him."

Yugi's eyes looked up in allege, taken aback by the statement Jou had dropped on him so casually. While he wanted to argue about it, Yugi found that the energy had simply left him long ago. Deep down in his heart, he knew it was true, but he also knew he wasn't ready to admit it yet. If they would be together, they still had a long way to go to gain each other's trust, and Yugi didn't know if Yami's tantrums would ever be controlled in the first place.

"Yugi?"

Yugi hadn't realized his attention had made room for another stare-down at his lover who stood, absently, next to Kaiba and Bakura whom were discussing something. So the man whom had visited Yami was Kaiba Seto, Yami's nephew and Yugi's ex-boss whom he had stolen money from. And Jonouchi was Kaiba's boyfriend, Yugi's friend and the man whom Yami had almost tried to kill in prison. Talk about a family reunion. Unconsciously, he looked at Jou after realizing he still hadn't replied to his friend.

"Is this what you want?"

His bright amethyst eyes blinked in confusion. The way Jou had asked his question had sounded so solemn it almost scared Yugi to answer. Was this what he wanted? To run away with Yami to the other side of the world and disappear forever, unable to contact his grandfather again or perhaps only on a yearly base?

"I," Yugi started, but shook his head mid-sentence, thinking carefully how to pick his words. "I don't know." He admitted. "But I think I have to."

He had to? Jou furrowed his brows, splitting up the words to try and make sense of it. Too busy analysing the answer, he noticed only half that Yugi had left to join their party, meeting Kaiba with a polite nod, the CEO returning it. His blue eyes followed Yugi's tracks to see his lover approaching him with a muddled expression, his steps slacking at every turn before joining too. Yugi stood next to Yami, grabbing the man's hand resolutely before listening to the conversation at hand.

"Make sure you study the passports and added profile information before landing in Mexico. This plane is untraceable. Once you arrive you can part ways, but I cannot help you anymore if anything goes wrong. So please," Kaiba turned his gaze at his cousin, the man's crimson eyes still staring fixedly at the floor. If only he realized how insistent Kaiba's request sounded if the man even used the word 'please', a word so foreign to him. "Behave yourself."

The fact that he settled for a singular pronoun gnawed at Yami before he tilted his head in disapproval, understanding too well that Kaiba was trying to scold him like a father. The tension he extruded on Yugi's hand was almost painful but Yugi didn't mention it. He was in no mood to argue with his nephew, though thankful for everything he had done for him, his patience was too short-lived and unpredictable to be tested out.

"What about the pilot?" Bakura asked after accepting the passports Kaiba handed over to him.

"Bribed and reminded that I know where his daughter goes to school if he ever tries to talk."

"Crisp," Bakura commented with a grin, especially loving the way Kaiba had mentioned the comment so off-handedly as if he was used to this kind of work. "Let's go."

After Ryou bowed to Kaiba to illustrate his gratitude, doing it twice on Bakura's behalf as the man had already strolled his way inside the jet to check out the mini-bar and Yugi saying goodbye to his friend Jou, Yami stayed behind with his cousin. An idle expression resided on both faces and both of them remained silently by the foot of the plane. As Yami stayed stoic as ever, Seto sighed as he knew well enough that nothing would come from this if he wouldn't say something first. It had surprised him that Yami had stayed behind in order to even suggest the impression that he _wanted_ to say something in the first place.

"Atem."

Yami bristled by the old name, one he barely heard these days. Even he and Bakura referred to each other with their new names adopted when having fled to Japan. It had become a habit, and Yami had felt more connection to a name so fitting it might as well describe the void in his mind.

His red eyes glared back in a knowing look, reminding Kaiba that he was listening but was not about to voice his own thoughts, as much as he wanted to. He had a thousand things he wanted to say to his nephew but none ever managed to escape past his lips. For Seto, it was refreshing to see the Egyptian's eyes' acknowledging him for once instead of staring off in bewilderment at the emptiness around it. It meant Yami was with him, not caught up in his head like he usually is, and it made him wonder what exactly that kid had done to his nephew to make such progress.

"Farewell."

Kaiba extended his hand to offer it to his nephew, awaiting the meeting of their hands, standing rigid with an odd expression on his face. Yami scrutinized the gesture, his nose slightly cringed at the peace-offering his nephew provided him with. He wished he could say more to Kaiba, he wished he could thank him for everything he had done for him. He wished he could tell him how much he had loved teasing him when they were younger, beating him in games and annoying the crap out of him whenever he felt like it. He wished he could tell him that he didn't understand why he was still helping him, didn't deserve his help either and always disappointed him whenever he was unable to fight his inner demons again. He wished he could tell him that he had never wanted to kill his parents that night, that the memories still haunted his sleep and that his punishment was to never sleep again. So many things he wished to tell him, and yet none he could speak. Yami raised his hand, sturdily grasping it and shook in curtly, ignoring the multiple calls in his head screaming he should break his fingers while he had the chance. Seto was the only family he had left, and even so he had had to fight the urge to slaughter him at so many times. What was wrong with him?

Eyes blasting open in astonishment, Yami repelled slightly at the sudden intimate contact when his nephew had pulled him closer, wrapping his arms securely around him. He stared with wide eyes over Seto's shoulder, a strange quailing sound escaping him before he calmed down in his embrace. He remembered when they were little there had always been one thing Seto could outrival him with. How much Yami hated it when Kaiba towered over him again with an impish grin on his face, bragging about his height while Yami didn't even reach his shoulder. Huffing shortly at the memory, they retreated, Seto's hand still lingering on his shoulder to invoke the memories more vividly. He cracked a grin at Yami's open mouth and petted his shoulder curtly before turning to walk away. Yami stood still in awe, wondering what had just happened, trying to make sense off every emotion that swirled around him in thick waves. Puzzled, he too turned to get on the plane, taking a seat next to Yugi whom awaited him with a loving smile. He noticed the defeated contortion on Yami's face but decided not to comment on it. He understood that his relationship with Seto was a complicated one that he never dared to comprehend, and it looked like Yami needed time to process whatever exchange of words they had just shared.

Seto looked deprived while watching the plane move to start its flight, empty eyes following the shrinking tail with hands tucked in his pocket. Next to him, he felt Jounouchi moving closer, a reassuring arm holding his shoulder steadily while watching the group leave in the air. He huffed silently, knowing all too well Seto was now in a deep state of thoughts that was impossible to break into, so he decided to keep it at subtle comforts by the means of a squeeze in his shoulder. Seto had gone through many things after his childhood was ruined by his adoptive father, but the separation of the only living family member he had left was one he had never truly processed. Jou hoped that perhaps, after today, he would be able to let go and believe his nephew would be safe, perhaps even able to start a new life with Yugi's support. His hazel eyes looked at his lover, lips still split in thin lines of contemplation, smiling lovingly at the man. They'd get over this, they had gotten over so many things together in the past. One more thing was nothing.

* * *

_Two months later_

_I can't take this anymore. Can I take this? Can I? How long? This is driving me mad! Oh, please, let me scream, let me yell at the top of my lungs, don't touch me, don't even look at me! Leave me alone in a room so I can fist my temper on a wall until my knuckles break! Stay out of my sight unless I can crack your skull! Let go of me! Hold on to me! No, no, don't go! Please... leave me the fuck alone!_

Ah, no, this was impossible to handle any further. It became more and more obvious every day how thoughts more fluctuating, mortifying and hazzling clouded Yami's mind and nibbled on his only sense of sanity. He couldn't take this anymore, he had already spent days hunched on bed, crawled together and grasping for a pain in his stomach that wasn't even there. He transpired heavily, unable to stay still for longer than thirty seconds, wailing in a pathetic attempt to release some of the tension cloaking his shoulders and head. He was getting crazier every day, and he wasn't sure if he could spend another day in this shithole, locked up in a figurative cage that was simply a bedroom, in a poorly-provided bungalow in the outskirts of Mexico.

They had separated after arriving at the border of America and Mexico. Bakura and Ryou had wished their goodbyes and Yami and Yugi had remained at the farmside country. Yugi had believed it would help Yami overcome whatever obstructions he experienced in his head, but oh, how wrong he was. He could never overcome something as haunting as this, like a second personality just lurking, waiting until he was weak enough to take over again and then, when least expected, strike. He fought so hard to suppress the urge to kill, cried his lungs out in pain, sometimes even overturning the house when he had drifted so deeply that he had to find a way to release all of this frustration and suffering by the means of violence. The scar on his chest was throbbing excessively as a reminder who was still in charge, and it happened on more than one occasion that Yugi woke up by the shrieking howling of Yami deep in the night, arguing with the voices in his head, having grown too accustomed to it by now to let it worry him any longer.

Once he had tried to call his grandfather, merely for the sake of letting him know he was doing fine, though while dialling the number only halfway Yugi had halted in the process to rethink his actions. He stood frozen in front of the telephone like something had dawned in on him, perhaps the realization that this sole phone call could bring them in danger. Short-lived as it was however, what truly shook his nervous was the sudden tantrum of possessiveness Yami had shown after finding him on the phone. He exploded like the unpredictable personality he was, toppling over tables and smashing glasses into the wall until he lunged the phone out of Yugi's shaking hand and smacked it on the ground, stamping it excessively to make sure he could never do it again. The action had seemed to calm Yami down in some manner as he stomped off like a child to go back to sulking in the bedroom, leaving Yugi with dry tears in his eyes. Even after that moment, he realized he would never be able to leave Yami, because not once had the core of aggression been pointed at him. He became painfully aware that, however deep Yami sunk, the man would never find it in his hard to even scratch him. Perhaps Yugi secretly wished he would, if only to give himself a reason to leave.

Yugi was certain Yami was still in bed again now too, it was the only place where he allowed himself to be these days to feel safe enough that he wouldn't hurt anyone. He sighed heavily, the act excerpting more than just exhaustion. No, Yugi was desperate. Desperate to find a way to help Yami hushing the voices in his head, because he knew as much as any other that things couldn't continue like this. The sleepless nights of cradling Yami into a light slumber after another outburst were getting to him fast, and Yugi wasn't sure if he could keep up. The man was draining his energy whenever he was at home, and when he was out to help the local farmer in exchange for free food, he always found the house back in a deprived state as if a burglar had decided that nothing of value could be stolen from them after all. Even here, in this secluded area of no-man's-land where the first small town was miles away, Yugi wasn't sure if he could stop Yami if the need ever reached too high.

He grimaced with a pained expression, hearing another set of roaring from the bedroom, stirring the pot of chili faster. Going in wouldn't help either, he knew that, but doing nothing was breaking his heart too. No one enjoyed listening to their lover in distress making agonizing screams in distress. With a frenzied move, the ladle almost flew out of Yugi's hands when Yami suddenly ran across the room, running towards the door and pulling at the handle, frustrated when he found it was locked. It was a measure Yugi had decided to take after Yami had ran away in the middle of the night once, returning after an hour or two with blood on his face and the severed head and body of a chicken. The slaughter had subsided Yami only for two days.

He turned irascibly, hazing eyes falling on Yugi who stood in the middle of the living-room, sauce dripping from his spoon while gazing at Yami. His body shook in anticipation, an untameable stamina reaching its peak as the need to kill something, anything, once again was too great. He wanted to scream, he wanted to cry, he wanted to smash Yugi's skull against the wall and hold him at the same time, but his actions translated none of those. Instead, he fell forward on his knees, hand still lingering on the knob, a cold sobbing splitting his head in two as he felt like crying. The stress was getting to him, the constant pulling and pushing was getting to him, and the voices sounded clearer than ever. Many things he could ignore, but the urges to kill his own lover were the ones who wavered the most. It was then that he truly feared himself for who he was.

"Yami..." Yugi hushed lightly, walking towards him to sit on his knees and take the Egyptian in his arm, a sudden outburst of tears leaking on his shoulder. He held him securely, the shivers affecting his own determination of pretending he knew what he was going. To be honest, he had no idea. He had no idea if staying here was the right thing to do, he had no idea how long these tantrums would last and if they ever would retire at all. He had no idea what Yami was thinking, what he wanted, what he could do to help him, and it frustrated him. If only he could do _something_.

"They're not you," he whispered in the man's ear, "You're you, and no one else can tell you what to do."

Yami's sobbing died down as he wrung his nose, looking up at the ceiling while Yugi held onto him. Lies, they were all lies. As if he didn't know this charade was impossible to hold up for the both of them. He knew one thing, and that was that they, together, could never work. They would never be able to restart a peaceful life, buy a house and hoard a farm. What frustrated him more was that the only reason why they couldn't was solely translatable to him.

"T-they," Yami hiccupped, holding on to Yugi, his hands slipping in an attempt to keep them still but failing. "They l-laugh with me." He said. Yugi cringed, not enjoying the idea that this was the thought that Yami had been struggling with at the moment. "T-they laugh, when I – when I cry."

"Screw them!"

Yami was surprised to hear Yugi shouting, something he did little. Yugi grabbed his wrists and pushed them apart, looking Yami dead in the eyes. "Who cares what they do! They don't matter! What matters is that we're together, the two of us, and we're safe. Please, Yami, I miss you... Let's eat together tonight, at the table! We'll watch a movie, take a bath, have a walk, anything!" Yami looked away, a pained expression on his face. He knew what Yugi was asking of him, but he wasn't sure if he could provide it. Yugi continued nonetheless, "We can get through this, together. Just... talk to me!"

A devastating silence. Yugi was certain Yami had caught every word, and judging by the cooperation to answer, he most likely already knew the answer. With wavering hands, Yugi dropped Yami's to the ground, ultimately letting go of him, defeated. He felt Yami standing back up and going back to the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Yugi listened eerily to the silence, recognizing every creaking sound across the door, from the peeping of the bed to the sliding of the covers, hating every vocal of it. With eyes staring at the ground, he remained seated, tears prickling his eyes and shedding them quietly.

* * *

Yugi woke up from a terrible nightmare, shooting up straight with such speed that he heard the bones in his back crack unpleasantly. Phased, he looked around in the room as if searching for the thing he had been avoiding in his dreams, only then to realize he was back home. Home, in their living-room, in a small house at the border of Mexico.

He lied back down flat on the ground, recalling his conversation with Yami from yesterday. Or at least, he thought that was yesterday, judging from the early setting sun peaking from behind the curtains. He looked at the beams hollowly, remembering the first time he had seen a sunset here in Mexico. Back then, things were still somewhat normal, and Yugi could remember how he had thought that it was the most beautiful sunset he had ever seen. How promising everything had sounded upon their arrival here, while they had dreamt of a cottage between the farmlands, perhaps growing some vegetables of their own to share with neighbours, maybe have some chickens... How foolish he had been.

It was only then that Yugi realized the door to their bedroom was wide-open. He scrutinized with increasing terror that the front door was wide open too. No... no no no! Yami – he was gone! What, what should he do?!

Scrambling on his feet in panic, Yugi ran towards the door, calling Yami's name over and over again in the hopes that he had simply gone out for a stroll – or at least would return with a dead chicken in his hands. He wasn't sure what Yami was capable of doing in this state of mind. He ran further, calling out his name more desperately, biting his tongue to hold back threatening tears. Shit, oh shit! Why had he been so stupid to fall asleep?!

"YAMI!" Yugi called one last time. He was nowhere to be seen. Unnerved, Yugi decided to go looking for him further. If he wouldn't find him soon... who knows what would've happened.

The nearest farm was a half-hour walk away where Yugi often went to to help out. It was the only place he could come up with at the top of his head where Yami could've run off to. The people there were incredibly friendly, a family of four, husband and wife with two daughters. They had often asked Yugi if he and his friend wanted to come over for dinner but Yugi had always reclined, conjuring up the excuse that Yami was very sick and never really left the house because of it. If Yami had gotten there... Please, just no.

Yugi ran all the way to the farm, cursing himself for having skipped gym so much in high-school. Completely out of breath, he arrived near the house, struggling to subdue the piercing pain of his own breath stinging his lungs. The adrenaline had certainly helped, otherwise he would've never been able to run the whole way. Bend forward to support himself on his knees, he huffed excessively before looking for any signs of life, finding the ground awfully quiet for an early farming morning. Their children were nowhere to be seen, usually playing hopscotch or practising dance choreographs in front of the house. If anything, the only thing he heard was the rattling of the home-made shell chime made by their youngest daughter. Yugi frowned his brows in worry.

Walking up the porch, he suddenly noticed a sleek streak of blood dragged across the wooden surface and his heart stopped beating. His pupils shrunk in fear as he strode forward with careful steps, afraid to turn around the corner to glance inside. Yami... Yami had been here, there was no mistaking it now.

He turned, looking inside, immediately feeling like throwing up. There, on the ground, lied their father, mouth and eyes wide open, blood seeping from his head and arm twisted in an unnatural angle. Yugi toppled over in sickness, supressing the sour taste of his own vomit that threatened to spill. No, he had to move, he had to find Yami. Maybe... maybe the girls and their mother had escaped.

He walked further in the house, avoiding the splatters of blood on purpose to make as little contact with the crime as possible. Refusing to look back at the haunting scene, he treaded onwards, tears leaking down his cheeks as with every step he took, he realized he was trembling more ferociously. He had to hold onto the walls for support, afraid he would faint if not. On his left he saw the feet of their mother sticking out of a room, blood smeared across her socks and Yugi ran past it, hiding his own eyes to avoid confrontation. Please, please, not the girls, please...

He walked out of the house through the backdoor and sacked through his knees, staring bewildered before him as he drew in the sharp smell of blood. Yami turned his head to look at the sounds, seeing Yugi standing at the doorstep. He seemed shallow with a glance of worry on his face, but it was not this that shook Yugi's composure. With the sudden outburst of his flaring emotions, Yugi couldn't resist the urge to scream anymore. He yelled so loud, at the top of his lungs.

Maria lay at the left, blood still spurting out of her neck like a tiny fountain, one leg torn off. Her dress, sown by her mother, was shredded to pieces, the cloth sticking to her skin by her own hardened blood. In the middle, lying in Yami's arms, lay Veronica, the youngest. Her eyes were wide open, staring right into Yugi's soul as if asking him why. Her entire jawbone had been ripped off, each of her fingers bend out of shape and sticking up, skin was scratched away from her stomach as if pieces of flesh had been literally ripped off. Yugi quivered while staring at the girl, his heart thumping loudly in his chest. He noticed Yami looking at him but ignored his stare, too vexed by everything he had seen. This – this wasn't real. This was another nightmare, he just had to wake up again. Please, please... let this be a nightmare!

"Don't touch me!" Yugi shouted. He had been staring for a good ten minutes in front of himself, looking through the corpses. Yami had stood up and tried helping him up, but Yugi had snapped and slapped his hand away. The Japanese caved in, his hand plastered across his mouth to keep the howling sounds from coming. And then suddenly, he couldn't deal with it anymore. He threw up every content of his stomach, desperate to get rid of it all to get the sickness to subside. He groaned as the foul taste spilled across his lips, saliva dripping from them as he continued barfing in a harrowed manner. And even if he found no energy left to do anything, he pushed Yami's hand away as soon as it rested on his back. No, he didn't want anything to do with this man, he would run away now for certain! This psychopath... He could rot in hell!

"H-how, h-h-how?! H-how, could – you?!" He barely managed to say. Yugi watched as Yami stood before him, holding what looked like Maria's leg and scrutinizing the limp. Yugi watched in horror as Yami bend through his knees to look Yugi in the eyes, his steady lines of emptiness suddenly curving up in a vicious smirk. He trembled in fear, afraid of the man before him, noticing how incredibly red his eyes looked, more so than usual, almost as if blood would swivel out of it any moment. Was this – Yami?

"That," Yami smiled, baring his teeth, "was fun."

Fun?! What was he saying?! This couldn't be Yami, could it?! "Y-Y-Yami?" Yugi asked, his voice shrinking the more he looked at the man's glaring eyes.

"In here," he responded with a smile on his face, pointing at his own head. This... this wasn't Yami. Was he talking to the voices? Was he going mad himself now too?!

"Don't worry, he'll wake up soon." Yugi shook his head and looked up, watching as Yami strode past him back through the house. After a few seconds, he scrambled himself up and hollered after the Egyptian, ignoring the oppressing pain in his stomach. In the distance he saw Yami, way ahead of him, walking back in the direction of their own house. Yugi panicked when he saw Yami suddenly caving in, falling flat on the ground and he had never ran so fast in his life before.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: the freedom of life**

Yugi chanced a glance over his shoulder, seeing Yami following him diligently while holding onto his hand. He smiled briefly before turning his eyes on the road, trying not to let the bitterness in Yami's eyes phase him. Today wasn't a day worth smiling, but he couldn't help the small amount of happiness that tranquilized the traumatic experience of only yesterday. Yugi fought hard to get these images out of his head while looking at Yami, but they always seemed to flash by at given moments. This was only his perspective, he wasn't even sure how many times Yami saw them.

Yami had returned to him after Yugi had dragged his unconscious body back to their house, having opened his eyes only briefly after with an emptiness tugging at his conscience. In split seconds, Yami had remembered every face, every scream and every plea he had heard while having gone on rampage, and it had stricken him so hard he had scratched his own skin until it bled. Yugi had remained by his side loyally, stopping him from maiming himself any further by the means of wrestling him to the ground, yelling and screaming at Yami for him to come back. That ordeal had lasted a good two hours, until Yami had found his centre again and accepted what had happened, much like after he had killed his own parents. He had then remained unphased on the ground like an empty shell, his eyes never wavering from the same spot and Yugi begun gathered their belongings while still crying himself. They had to move, as quickly as possible, even if everything hurt.

In all his haste and suffering, Yugi had booked two flying tickets to Panama and had, ludicrously enough, typed in his own name while ordering the tickets. The mistake had gone unnoticed by the two up till now, believing that they were on their way to the airport to once again run from another mistake that should never have taken place to begin with. Yugi also didn't realize that his mistake would soon cost him something precious.

They continued their walk, arriving inside the airport and looking at the board to find their check-in point and gate. Everything seemed to happen so casually it was almost infuriating, but nevertheless Yugi moved on, finding their gate and grabbing Yami by the arm again, who followed numbly behind him, like dragging a doll along.

Yugi handed over their fake passports, ignoring the pointedly rude stare he received from the attendant, handing over their luggage and moving on. Flying was a pain and he wasn't sure if they'd even pass security unscathed. He felt Yami squeeze his hand securely and a warm feeling engulfed his heart, glad that Yami seemed to finally respond to his touches. He had remained awfully dense since yesterday and Yugi was worried how it would affect Yami further.

People were scurrying by in hurry to catch flights and children were crying, the noise agitating Yugi further. He was already on sharp and his senses couldn't take any more stress as it was. Every sound, every curve seemed to turn him on edge while he manoeuvred through the crowd, aiming to walk to the next point to catch their flight. In his hurry, he didn't even notice the suited men approaching them from afar.

He blinked when he was suddenly dragged forward by Yami who had decided to take the lead, the tension on his hand increasing almost painfully. Yugi looked around, searching for what seemed to have grown Yami so wary, freezing to a stand-still when he saw guards walking straight at them, his heart sinking to his feet. He suddenly realized while Yami was so desperate to move faster, and he added to the pace by following Yami through the crowd that seemed to thicken. They turned a corner, Yugi almost tripping over his own feet, struggling to keep up. The suited men had disappeared, but that wouldn't be for long. While the men behind them had failed to keep up, Yami stared wide-eyed at other officers who approached them from the front. They were surrounded.

The crowd grew thicker and Yugi grasped Yami's hand tightly. Everything was going so fast, people were walking by on cue as planes and hours were announced. Yami manoeuvred through the crowds, his heart weighing heavier with every step he took, his eyes shooting from one opening to the other, considering what to do, considering which step to take next. His heart was beating in his throat and his head bursting with adrenaline. He saw more suited men tailing after them, cornering them, and his heart thumbed louder and louder. They had to get out of here, they had to escape.

Yami turned around, watching Yugi's sorrowed expression looking around in the same manner, unable to find any means of escape. His eyes were the size of dinner-plates and Yami sensed he was trembling, growing weary of his surroundings. Yami looked around one more time himself, seeing more agents gathering around them.

He lunged Yugi in his arms, the boy startling by the force of his grip. His heart was beating heavily in his chest, all his senses on sharp and yet hazy at the same moment. He tensed when Yami seized his arm around his throat and held a blade next to it, leaning closer to whisper something in his ear. But never afraid, Yami would never hurt him.

"I forced you to do everything." He whispered in Yugi's ear, and the Japanese choked in his tears. What?! No, he hadn't forced him to do anything! He was asking him to lie! He was going to –

The mass of people suddenly burst open like the Red Sea, a swarm of police officers having surrounded them with Yami and Yugi in the middle. Yugi had trouble breathing as Yami tight-lock spun him around, trying to count the amount of men around them, wondering if he could still work himself out of this mess. Like an animal driven in a cage, Yami spun and spun, knife held close to his lover's throat, the voices screaming in his head, his heart about to explode, his emotions unstable. Everything became a thick mess of panic, he was afraid, he didn't want to die, he didn't want to be separated, he wanted to live!

"Yami! No! Stop!" Yugi shouted and pulled at the man's arms, tears streaming down his face like waterfalls. It couldn't end like this! He wouldn't let Yami take the blame for everything! They wouldn't be separated! At least, if Yami would be taken into custody and convicted with the death penalty, Yugi would go down with him. "I won't let you! You're innocent! Please! Don't – don't do this!" He yelled louder, hoping everyone would hear them. Even if they were held at gunpoint, all Yugi cared about was them, their future. He had never felt so afraid and more secure at the same time.

The men were shouting but Yugi couldn't hear them. His hands were still grasping for Yami's arm, attempting to pull it away but in vain. There was panic, people around them were screaming and running away. More yelling. He felt Yami tremble... He felt Yami tremble! He heard the sobs and cries coming from behind him as Yami slowly accepted his faith, his body growing less determined, releasing some of the tension on his grasp. He couldn't! Yugi wouldn't let him! He had to –

Yugi heard nothing when he was suddenly pushed forward. It happened so quickly when he was suddenly surrounded by more officers, lying on the ground, his body numb and frozen, unable to take in its surroundings. Lunging forward, he watched as Yami was forced to his knees and handcuffs were tugged around his wrists. Officers began yanking him up and dragging him away, guns held behind him while people were still shouting. Yugi watched in horror, his mouth locked as if it had been sewed together. They – they were separating them! They were taking him away! N-no!

"Stop! Stop, you don't understand! He did nothing wrong! Yami! Yami!" He yelled after him, not even granted a glimpse of his face. The officers around him tried to tone him down and held him in place, asked him to calm down, if he was hurt, but Yugi wasn't listening. He wanted to see Yami's face, he couldn't leave him! They were taking him from him!

"N-no...!" Yugi cried one last time before he collapsed in one of the constable's arms after attempting to run after him. He watched as Yami was carried through the door, completely disappearing behind it, and Yugi caved in, his tears spilling while he audibly cried over his loss.

He had lost him.

He was -

gone.

* * *

Yugi sat silently on the stool. An entire hour he had been staring wide-eyed in front of the wall across him, waiting. The reunion with his grandpa had been less savoury than he had expected. Whilst his grandpa was overwhelmed with tears Yugi couldn't move a muscle when his old man hugged him so tightly. His mind had only been on one thing, and it had been wearing him down.

He had lied to everyone, because he knew that was what Yami would've wanted. He had lied about his words when Yami had been arrested, claiming he hadn't been in the right state of mind. He had admitted to Stockholm-syndrome and had been enabled to a psychiatrist to treat it, because they sincerely believed Yugi was so deep in it that it explained his behaviour. He lied how he had been dragged across the globe against his own will and how he had been allowed only one call, or rather how he had done it behind Yami's back as a means to make it sound more convincing. He explained that Yami had treated him humanly, had nourished him and he had been able to sleep. That much he could do.

He had lied so much that he had slowly started to believe his own lies. Was he really that deep? Maybe it had been a case of severe Stockholm-syndrome, maybe Yugi had sincerely believed he had fallen in love with the man whom had kidnapped him, because it sounded better than being kidnapped against his own will. Maybe he had felt guilty toward the man and, with his natural tendency to help people, had appealed to it. Maybe it was still a side-effect from his traumas during prison. Maybe he had never loved this man.

Another lie.

A curtain opened. Inside a room were two men and a chair, nothing more than that. Yugi noticed how he felt his own body tense and that of the others around him as well. He still wasn't sure why he had agreed to come here, perhaps Seto had convinced him, that he would regret it if he wouldn't be there in his final moment, but Yugi wasn't sure anymore. He looked at his left and watched his grandpa who seemed silently retreated in his own thoughts. He was about to see the man whom had kidnapped his grandson face to face, while Yugi was preparing to see something entirely different. No one, except for Seto, knew why Yugi was here. Most would perhaps think that he had come to condole his fears and hush his conscience. But that wasn't why Yugi was here. He would be there in Yami's final moment, he would watch the life being forced out of him, and he would grief. Grief for a future that they had never been given, the memory of his dying lover burned forever in his eyes as he would go to sleep every night and wake up with it. Yet everyone was here for a completely different purpose.

Yugi turned on his chair. Seto's head hung low, Joey sitting next to him and trying to console his boyfriend. The blonde watched Yugi and gave him a poor smile, the only smile remaining for now. Even if you don't like the man, watching someone die unnaturally was immoral.

There were three other people in the room, people Yugi didn't know. He guessed they were press or perhaps family of victims, but honestly he couldn't care less either. It slightly bothered him that Bakura and Ryou weren't here, but after all it was quite impossible. It didn't mean Yugi still envied their successful escape.

A squeeze in his hand, and Yugi looked up to meet his grandpa's gentle face. He wanted to cry in the old man's arms and explain to him that he wasn't here to watch a murderer die. He wanted to tell him that today he would lose a lover, the only man he would ever love, the most beautiful man in the world, but he couldn't. Tears spilled and his grandfather held him closer, but Yugi just grew more frustrated. He didn't understand, no one did. He would have to bare these feelings alone.

Another man appeared, and Yugi' heart sank to the bottom upon witnessing the last. A pained grimace surfaced as he tried to bite back more tears but was unable to. Yami looked drained, his eyes so lifeless, as if they had lost their colour. It was painful to watch how he so dishearteningly stepped toward the chair and took a seat, of course Yami wouldn't look at him, he didn't dare to!

He felt a harder nudge in his hand but Yugi payed the affection no mind. Whilst he had imagined how this would feel like over and over again, he had never imagined for it to crush him so drastically. If given the chance he would break down and cry for hours on the ground, but he wanted to stay strong for Yami. He would look him in the eyes and share his last breath until everything was over. Even if it was going to kill him.

The chair was tilted down and Yami lied on his back, the enrichment of several tubes and infusions being casted around him yet not phasing him. He looked at the ceiling, such a dull and dark colour. Today he was going to die. Honestly, he hadn't expected to be this calm about it. He had been preparing for it for two weeks after he had been arrested. The authorities wouldn't take another risk and wait any longer, so they moved his sitting and decided upon death penalty through lethal injection. Yami was fine with that. At least it was more humane than the chair.

Rolling aside his head, he watched through the window as glazed, amethyst eyes locked with him. It was during this moment that Yami suddenly felt something stir inside of him. He had been so collected on his way here, but now that he looked his lover dead in the eyes, his heart grieved. How he wished he could hold him one last time, kiss him goodbye. Forever.

Yugi gasped. He was going mad after all. He could swear he heard Yami talk as the man smiled gently at him and moved his lips, trying to say something. But that was impossible, they weren't supposed to hear anything.

"_It's okay, habibi,"_ Yugi heard faintly in the distance. Confused, he looked back at his lover, blinking away his tears as he watched the man. A doctor prepped and injected the elixir in the correct tube, the liquid rushing down toward Yami's veins, quickly spreading like a disease.

Yami turned his head, looking up at the ceiling, a bright smile painted across his face. He felt the tranquilizer course through him and chuckled lightly, feeling more free than ever before. His head felt so light, the ceiling looked like it was dancing, the colours around him were beautiful, everything was pure ecstasy!

"_They – They're finally gone..."_ Yugi heard through the link, recognizing Yami's voice in his head, his eyes bursting open as if alive for the first time in his life. Yugi launched out of his seat and pressed his nose against the glass, ramming it with his hand and crying, screaming. Yami hearing the pleas from behind the window while humming himself softly to sleep. He would join his mother and father now. He only hoped they would welcome him back.

People around him began to shout.

All the colours turned black.

And he heard his lover shout out his name one last time.

* * *

Upon closer inspection, Yugi never realized the amount of dull colours his wardrobe collected. He scoffed mildly, a light smile tugged across his face that vanished just as quickly. With half-lidded eyes, he gazed upon his clothes, gathering that which he could in an easy travelling suitcase. His hands barely gripped the fabrics as he moved them inside the trunk, afraid that everything around him would crumble if he handled them too coarse.

He looked at his left, his eyes resting upon Yami's still figure. The Egyptian stared in front of him, lips slightly parted, a dull expression on his face that would remind one of death. He remained motionless as Yugi sighed and continued his efforts of packing their bags, grabbing whatever he thought would be useful upon their disappearance. They had to leave now, together.

"Yami," Yugi whispered softly. He crouched before the man, resting his hand on the man's lap. No movement. "Let's go."

He didn't respond. All Yugi saw were the crimson eyes of an estranged man that didn't talk anymore. And as much as he tried, he could not look away from them. What he saw in those eyes was beyond reality, what he saw was the crimson of blood, of the blood that had shed only hours ago in that horrifying room. Of all the people that had dropped dead in a split second, right before the tranquilizer should've subdued Yami to an eternal sleep. In that split second, where everything had turned black, when Yugi could only remember residing in a different dimension with nothing but darkness surrounding him, he heard agonizing screams taunting his mind. He heard his grandfather yell in pain, his friends scream, people dying. As quickly as the darkness had split, Yugi was confronted with a sea of bloodshed. When he looked around him, everyone had died except for him. When he looked around him, tears clouding his view, heartbreak clouding his senses, the only one breathing was Yami, restlessly, in the chair, still strapped to it. He heard the man talk but his lips didn't move. It just kept on repeating inside Yugi's head _"Let me die, let me die, let me die, ..."_

Yugi took in a sharp breath, burying the stinging images. He had just lost his grandfather, and he wanted to grief, but they had to move now. Their life will probably not be how he had imagined it a month ago, but they'd be together at least.

He stood up, reaching out a hand to Yami. After a short while, he grabbed his lover's hand and pulled him up, receiving no movement nor answer. Yami followed blankly, like a brainless being, walking behind Yugi's footsteps, not grabbing onto Yugi's hand. At that knowledge, Yugi swallowed more tears. He might as well be dead, he thought. He might as well be a different man.

They walked out of Yugi's house, leaving behind his room, his life, everything. They headed into the night, not even knowing where to go next.

And for a moment there, Yugi thought he heard something. It sounded like someone was telling him to do something, but he was sure it was just an imagination in his head, a processing of his traumas just piling up one after the other.

_'I... I want – to kill."_

* * *

_So, here's the ending of Stockholm Syndrome. I hope you enjoyed the story, many thanks for sticking around! I have no idea when I'll be uploading chapters from my other stories to be honest. Life as a teacher sucks and I barely have any spare time left to write or draw for that matter. _

_Lots of love, ShadowOfSelfDestruction_


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